The Champion Journeys
by ButterflyMeadow
Summary: Sequel to The Hoenn Journeys. Colleen Rose has a perfect life with her love and her friends. But as remnants of the past gather as a threat to the entire Pokemon world, it's up to Colleen and her friends to rise up to the challenge. Steven/OC COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so all the people who asked for a sequel to **_**The Hoenn Journeys**_** got to me. So here's the sequel, **_**The Champion Journeys**_** (yeah, cheap title :P). Obviously, there'll be more fluff since Steven and Colleen are together, but I have a pretty good action idea, too, for those of you who liked the action in the previous fanfic! Like the previous, also, there will be the following: AdvanceShipping, GracefulShipping, GymShipping, and TwinleafShipping. Now, enjoy this sequel!**

**Disclaimer: Is it just me or are Emerald's Frontier Brains harder? I have all of the Silver Prints in HG but only one Silver Luck Symbol in Emerald, and I've been owned by Pyramid King Brandon and Dome Ace Tucker. No, I don't own Pokémon.**

**The Champion Journeys**

**Chapter 1**

**By Meerca aka Butterfly Meadow**

"Steven! Could you please come and help me for a sec?" twenty-three-year-old Colleen Rose called, unsuccessfully trying to zip up the bodice of her dress. She flipped her long knee-length pink hair to one side, unable to pull the annoying zipper all the way up.

The door to the bathroom hallway opened to reveal a handsome twenty-seven year old young man named Steven Stone, with silvery-grey hair and similarly colored eyes. He chuckled at Colleen's failed efforts. "Okay, Colleen, let me see that . . ."

Steven zipped up the back of Colleen's dress effortlessly and turned her to see how she looked. Colleen was wearing a half-sleeve gold mini dress made of silk covered with a layer of lace. A cluster of three gold roses decorating a shiny white ribbon circled her stomach and was the boundary between the slightly ruffled skirt and flat bodice.

"Colleen, you look beautiful," Steven smiled.

"Thank you, Steven," Colleen replied, smiling and hugging Steven. "But you always tell me that."

"How can I help it when I'm in the company of an exceptionally beautiful young woman?"

Colleen laughed. "Why thank you. But I'm still nervous about dancing with you . . . in front of all those people . . ." She bit her lip nervously, wringing her hands.

"We did it when you became Hoenn Champion," Steven pointed out. "It was in front of a lot more people then. And this time, we're dancing alongside Ash and May, Barry and Dawn, and Brock and Misty."

"I guess . . . but what if I mess up?"

Steven put his hands on Colleen's shoulders. "We've been practicing, and I think we have it down. If we make a mistake, the others can help us. Don't worry."

"You always have a way of putting it that makes me feel better." Colleen's face broke into a smile and she wrapped her arms around Steven. "I love you."

Steven lifted Colleen's chin and pressed his lips to hers. "I love you, too."

"While you're here, could you please help me with something else?" Colleen went to their room's dresser and took a gold necklace with two heart charms: one crafted from a Dusk Stone and the other from a Dawn Stone. "I wanted to wear this today but I can never snap the clasp."

Steven smiled. "The necklace I gave you?"

"It's pretty! It'd go well with my outfit! _And_, most importantly, it's from you!"

"Alright, alright. Give me that and turn around." Colleen obeyed as Steven placed the necklace around her collarbone and snapped the clasp shut. After making sure it was secure, he kissed the back of her neck and said, "It's perfect. Let's get going. Where's Pichu?"

"It went off with Ash's Pikachu—they're really good friends. Let me grab my purse—" Colleen reached over to the bed where the white shoulder purse lay and snatched it up. "Now I'm ready."

Steven slipped his hand into hers and opened the door of their hotel room. They walked down the carpeted halls and out into the cool refreshing evening.

Colleen gasped. The yard where Wallace and Winona had announced their engagement was completely transformed! Lilac melted into the sky with the floral lavender and baby blue decorative theme. Purple and blue roses twirled around the angelic white gazebo's bars, which was placed on the silk-draped stage. The chairs and tables for the guests were dressed in silk as well, alternating sky blue and lilac. The tables were already set with glasses, cloth napkins, plates, and utensils, and most of the Pokémon League members were arriving, being directed to their tables by Mr. Stone, who would be administering the vows. He winked and waved when he spotted Steven and Colleen heading to their spots. Both waved back.

"See you during the dance," Steven smiled, winking as he headed for the table for the best men. Colleen waved and went to the maids of honor's table.

"Hi, Colleen!" Dawn, May, and Misty chorused once Colleen sat down between May and Dawn.

"You three look so pretty!" Colleen complimented the other three girls. Winona had chosen the same dress for all four of the girls, except while Colleen's was sparkling gold, May's was a toned-down red, Dawn's was cotton candy pink, and Misty's was ocean baby blue. "Where's Pichu?"

"You, too!" May exclaimed. "Pichu and Pikachu are playing, as usual. They're over by that park, so don't worry."

"You look nice in gold," Misty added.

"I told you Dawn would look better in pink than blue!" Colleen remarked, looking at the bluette. "Pink makes you look cute!"

"Thanks," Dawn giggled. "Barry liked it, too. Good thing that you, Misty, and I traded."

"Misty _still_ would have looked good in gold, though," May mused. "Dawn would still be nice in blue, and Colleen would still be pretty in pink."

"Red's all you, though, May!" Dawn remarked. "I don't think any of us would look good in red, except you! Come to think of it, I think you would've looked good in _any_ of the colors . . ."

"Trust me, it was _really_ hard to choose just _one_ color!" May laughed. "I look good in almost any color, if I do say so myself."

"Is anyone besides me really nervous about the dance?" Misty brought up, flattening her orange hair freed from its normal side-ponytail.

"I'm dancing in front of tons of people I know," Colleen told May, Misty, and Dawn. "All the League members know me since I . . . well, defeated them. And I'm a Pokémon Master, so—I'm not bragging or anything—who _wouldn't_ know me?"

"The Kanto and Johto people know me since I'm Gym Leader," Misty grimaced.

"Dawn and I are Master Coordinators, so people have probably heard of us, too," May remarked, running her hands through her brown hair to fix it.

"We'll have our boyfriends with us, though," Dawn pointed out, her indigo eyes glittering. "It'll be so _romantic! _Oh, I can't _wait_ till I get married!"

"Weddings are a _big _responsibility," Colleen stated. "For the bride and the groom. It's a huge step in their lives."

"What tells me you and Steven are going to get married before us . . ." May giggled.

Colleen blushed. "You think I'm going to get married to Steven?"

"Colleen, seven years is a _loooong_ time to be in love," Dawn declared. "If you both had feelings for each other for _seven years_, well . . . it's almost impossible that you won't get married."

"Undying love is so cute!" May squealed.

"You two are such romantics . . ." Misty muttered, but she was trying to hide her smile.

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen!" Mr. Stone's voice rang out from the microphone. "If I could have your attention, we can start the ceremony! Today we will be witnessing the union of two souls who obviously love one another very dearly. Now, let us have a hand for tonight's stars—ladies and gentlemen, Wallace Springfield and Winona Wilson!"

The crowd cheered as Wallace and Winona walked down the gold silk carpet arm-in-arm.

"Winona's so pretty!" Colleen breathed. The Fortree Gym Leader was wearing a lavender wedding dress, with a bouquet of pale blue and purple roses in her hand. A pink blush graced her cheeks as she smiled.

"Lavender looks awesome on Winona!" May exclaimed.

"Wallace's suit is such a nice color!" Dawn remarked. "It's the same color as the sky blue roses in Winona's bouquet!"

Even Misty had dropped her tomboy personality for now. "Don't they look perfect together?"

Wallace and Winona reached the gazebo and they sat down in their designated seats. Mr. Stone went on to tell the normal speech, and then Colleen's heart sped up as he turned to Winona and Wallace.

"Do you, Hoenn League Champion Wallace Springfield, take Fortree City Gym Leader Winona Wilson as your lawfully wedded wife?"

A bright smile spread across Wallace's face. "I do."

"And do you, Fortree City Gym Leader Winona Wilson, take Hoenn League Champion Wallace Springfield as your lawfully wedded husband?"

Winona smiled at Wallace and said, "I do."

"Wallace, you may now kiss the bride."

Wallace turned to Winona, and as his lips landed atop hers, the crowd went wild. Mr. Stone announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, I now give you Mr. and _Mrs._ Wallace Springfield!"

"Yeah, Winona!" the girls cheered unanimously. "Woo hoo!"

Wallace had taken the microphone and he began to speak. "Today was a very special day in my life, more important than any Contest I've won, more significant than becoming a Hoenn Champion. It was oh-so special because I married the love of my life, Winona. I just want to say thank you to all of you for your support and for coming to this wondrous occasion."

Wallace paused and then continued, "And now, we will have the maids of honor and best men lead the dance for tonight! We present to you Ash Ketchum and May Maple, Barry Emerald and Dawn Berlitz, Brock Harrison and Misty Waterflower, and Steven Stone and Colleen Rose!"

"That's our cue, girls!" As they rehearsed, May, Dawn, Misty, and Colleen lined up, in an order so that when they walked to the dance floor, their dance partner would be directly next to them. The crowd cheered, and Colleen distinctly heard Pichu's cries among the crowd. She smiled to herself as she followed the younger three girls.

Colleen reached Steven and placed one hand on his shoulder while entwining the other into his. She felt secure as Steven's other hand fell to her waist. "Ready?" he whispered. Colleen nodded, her heart pounding as the music started.

It was a simple tune perfect for dancing, and the eight of them began to turn a little, keeping in time to the music. Just like the Champion dance, Colleen felt her anxiety evaporate as the song sped up a little and got louder. Eventually the crowd was cheering, including Wallace and Winona.

"This is better than last time, isn't it?" Steven smiled, squeezing Colleen's hand. "The song's almost over."

As soon as Steven said that, the song ended, and the crowd erupted into cheers. Steven bent down and met Colleen's lips with his. The crowd's cheering got _much _louder, which made Colleen assume she and Steven weren't the only ones kissing.

Hand-in-hand, the dancers took a bow and went off-stage as more couples came onstage to dance. More of the crowd went to the food bar, and Colleen and Steven were about to follow them until a hand tapped Colleen's shoulder.

Colleen and Steven turned, their alarm subsiding to see Officer Jenny. "Hello, Miss Rose and Mr. Stone."

"Hi, Officer Jenny," Colleen said in surprise.

Jenny gave a small but thin smile. "I'll be on my way, but I need to give you this." Jenny gave both a folded piece of paper. "Make sure to get there." She walked away.

Colleen and Steven looked at each other questioningly and opened their papers.

_Pokémon Master Colleen Rose:_

_A meeting is to be held in Lilycove Museum with the attendance of all Pokémon Champions and Pokémon Masters. Do not miss this meeting, it is very urgent. We hope to see you there._

_-The Pokémon League_

**A/N: Well, here comes some more action! Note: I'm going to be going on vacation from July 12****th**** to August 25****th****, so I'll barely be updating then (limited computer time ;P). R&R please!**


	2. Chapter 2

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A/N: So I'm trying to update as much as I can before I leave, and I'll try to sneak in some chapters in the time I'm away. For now, everyone, please read and review and enjoy the chaps!**

**Disclaimer: I'm really hoping for an R/S remake . . . if I owned Pokémon I'd make one. Which means I don't own Pokémon.**

**The Champion Journeys**

**Chapter 2**

It turned out that Wallace and Ash had also received the note from the Pokémon League, and the next morning, Steven and Colleen set out with the other two Trainers to Lilycove Museum.

"_Pi chu?_" the Tiny Mouse Pokémon questioned.

"I don't know, Pichu . . . this is a first for me," Colleen replied.

"Have you guys ever been called on a sudden meeting like this?" Ash asked the two Hoenn Champions. "This is a first for me, too."

"_Pika pi!_"

Steven and Wallace looked at each other and then Steven answered, "There _was_ one time, when Team Magma and Team Aqua were a threat to Hoenn . . . but it's been almost ten years since those two groups disbanded. Same with Team Rocket and Team Galactic. But _all_ of them disbanded."

"But remember how Team Rocket rose up seven years ago? I think Team Rocket really disbanded when Giovanni was arrested." Colleen shuddered to think of her encounters with the Team Rocket Leader.

"I was watching the news a few days ago and they were saying that the crime rate has shot through the roof," Wallace recalled, frowning. "Not only in a region alone—but _all over_ the Pokémon world. I'd bet this meeting has something to do with that."

The four Champions and two Pokémon walked up a staircase and turned left. Colleen could see the massive gold-and-bronze museum approaching. Once the museum was fully in view, Colleen could see Lance and Cynthia talking to each other.

"Hello, Steven, Wallace, Colleen, Ash," Lance acknowledged them as they approached. "Glad you could make it."

"How are you?" Cynthia asked warmly, smiling as she looked at Pichu and Pikachu. "Congratulations on your wedding, Wallace, by the way."

"Thank you, Cynthia. Where's the meeting?"

Lance put a finger to his lips. "Shh, we can't let anyone hear a thing," he replied quietly. "The meeting's classified Pokémon League material, so only Pokémon Champions and Masters, along with a few others, can be allowed to hear it. Plus, if an outsider heard . . . well, it'd ruin our battle plan."

"Battle plan?" Colleen and Steven exchanged glances.

"You'll learn more inside," Cynthia assured them. "We're waiting for the Pokémon Secret Police's leader, Jennifer. She has the info we need."

Just then, a woman walked up to them. She looked like an Officer Jenny, but her eyes were blue while her hair was green. "Hello, Pokémon League Champions. I am Jennifer Marble. Thank you for coming. If you would please follow me, we can begin the assembly."

The Pokémon Champions followed Jennifer inside the Lilycove Museum and to a door, where a bulky guard stood. "Identification?" he asked.

Jennifer flipped open her leather wallet to reveal an ID card, and he nodded approvingly. "Very well. Proceed, Miss Marble." He stepped aside, and Jennifer opened the door, which revealed a lengthy staircase.

"Follow me." Everyone started to climb the stairs. The hallway smelled musty, as if it hadn't been used in a very long time. But once they reached a room, everything looked as if it had been cleaned just an hour ago. The gold tables and chairs gleamed, and the red silk tapestries with the Pokémon League logo shimmered. Jennifer instructed them to remove their shoes, and when they did, Colleen felt the soft carpet like clouds between her toes.

The Champions sat down around a large gold table with a red Poké Ball symbol emblazoned on the top. Jennifer pressed a blue button in the wall, which made a door materialize in the previously empty doorway.

"Champions, perhaps you have heard of the skyrocketing crime rate affecting citizens of the Pokémon world," Jennifer began, switching off the lights. A map of the entire Pokémon world appeared on the front wall. "Under investigations done by the Pokémon Secret Police, we have come to the conclusion that this crime is not happening randomly, but in fact is completely linked to a single suspect—or should I say, suspects."

Jennifer paused, then continued, "As you know, all of the main villainous groups are disbanded, as of five years ago when Ash and his allies put an end to Team Galactic, the last standing organization. Maxie, Archie, Giovanni, and Cyrus are currently jailed, and will not be paroled anytime soon. But we recently realized that these teams have not completely disbanded."

Jennifer clicked a button on the remote in her hand, and the slide changed. A symbol was now on the screen. Set on a black background were two white circles on either side of a bigger white circle, which had two circles inside of it.

"What's that?" Ash asked, staring intently at the insignia.

"This is the mark of Team Shadow. Our searches have found out some information, but as Team Shadow works behind the scenes, it is very hard for us to come to strong conclusions.

"All we know for sure so far is that Team Shadow is made up of the remnants of Teams Rocket, Magma, Aqua, and Galactic. With these teams' leaders jailed, someone else is behind this whole organization, but the person we do not know of. Team Shadow has branches in Kanto, Johto, the Orange Islands, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, but the center of the association is here, in Hoenn. This is why the crime rate affects the whole Pokémon world."

"Team Shadow is attempting to awaken the Legendary Trios of each region: the Legendary Birds of Kanto, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, the Legendary Beasts of Johto, Suicune, Raikou, and Entei, the Legendary Golems of Hoenn, Regice, Regirock, and Registeel, and the Legendary Lake Guardians of Sinnoh, Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf. Bringing these twelve Pokémon together will activate an ornament called the Azure Flute, which will summon the mighty Arceus. That will be catastrophic for our world, in the hands of those criminals. Thankfully, Team Shadow has yet to acquire any of these Legendary Pokémon."

Jennifer looked at each of the Champions in turn, her face deadly serious. "The Pokémon League has decided that all of the Pokémon Champions and Masters are going to stop Team Shadow. That would be all of you present in this room. The path is going to be tough, Champions, but our faith is in you. You are our last hope. Do you agree to this mission?"

Unanimously, Ash, Steven, Colleen, Wallace, Lance, and Cynthia stated, "We do."

Jennifer smiled. "Thank you. Your help will certainly aid us. Now, for our plan."

The slide changed again to show the Pokémon world map. "You will be heading to the Orange Islands first, as the Orange Islands is rather isolated from the rest of the Pokémon world. Drake, the 'Champion' there, will be waiting and he will assist you. In the Orange Archipelago, Team Shadow's hideout is on the inaccessible Pinkan Island, but by order of the Pokémon League you can go there.

"Next you will go to Sinnoh. Team Shadow's hideout is at Newmoon Island, and we've hired a boatman to get you there.

"Then you will head to Kanto, where Team Shadow resides in Cerulean Cave. Again, a boatman has been hired to take you there.

"From Kanto you will head for Johto, where Team Shadow is in the Whirl Islands. A boat will take you from Kanto straight to the Whirl Islands.

"Finally, since Team Shadow's base is here in Hoenn, you will be coming back here after defeating the other hideouts. The base will be in the Sealed Chamber, and we will give you more information when you come back."

"When are we leaving for Pinkan Island?" Lance asked.

"Tomorrow," Jennifer replied. "We need to stop Team Shadow as quickly as possible."

"I'll bring the parties I had in each of the regional leagues," Colleen said. Jennifer nodded. "That way, they won't know the exact Pokémon that are coming."

"I'd like you to do that now." Jennifer motioned to a PC and took out a sheet of paper. "Your Silver League party was?"

"Pichu, Charizard, Starmie, Dragonite, Metagross, and Heracross."

Jennifer scribbled that down. "While I'm at it, may I have your Hoenn and Sinnoh parties as well?"

"Okay." Colleen headed for the PC and placed her Sinnoh Pokémon into the tray, withdrawing her Silver League Party. "Hoenn was Pichu, Blaziken, Feraligatr, Espeon, Mightyena, and Salamence. Sinnoh was Pichu, Metagross, Weavile, Gallade, Empoleon, and Staraptor."

"Thanks." Jennifer went over to the PC and typed up a quick e-mail message. "You are dismissed. Make sure to be at the Lilycove City Harbor tomorrow evening."

**A/N: Well, there was my "great" action plan :P R&R please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: We had a 5.4 earthquake here in California yesterday :-O It was creepy but there was no damage, so we're good. Funny thing was, this Claydol in Emerald's Battle Factory used Earthquake on my Arcanine at that moment XD So, enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Pokémon.**

**The Champion Journeys**

**Chapter 3**

Colleen stood before the dresser mirror, weaving her trademark side braids into her hair. She was wearing the Trainer outfit May had given her before she'd headed off to Kanto the first time (she'd change before heading to the colder Sinnoh region).

"_Pichu?_" Pichu asked from the bed.

Colleen turned to face Pichu. "I'm ready!"

Pichu smiled. "_Chu pi, chu?_"

Colleen laughed and picked up the Tiny Mouse Pokémon. "It _does_ feel nostalgic, doesn't it? But last time we were going without Steven, and I was in a really depressed mood."

"I'm glad I'm coming with you this time," Steven remarked. "I don't know if I could live without you anymore."

"Me either," Colleen said, smiling. "That last time . . . I swear to Arceus, I nearly died of sadness. It didn't feel the same without you."

Steven stood and nestled Colleen in his embrace. "Even my Pokémon noticed," he said with a soft chuckle in her ear. "I'd forget to train with them when I thought about you."

After a slight silence, a muffled squeak emitted from between the couple, and Colleen and Steven looked at each other and laughed. "Sorry, Pichu," Colleen apologized, putting Pichu on her shoulder instead.

"Ready, lovebirds?" The hotel door opened to reveal a smirking Wallace with Winona at his shoulder.

"You bet we are!" Colleen slung her bag over her shoulder and quickly scanned the room for anything she or Steven had left.

"Okay, let's head off to the harbor then." Colleen and Steven followed Winona and Wallace outside of the hotel. After checking out, they walked a few minutes to the Lilycove City Harbor. The rest of the Champions were there, along with Colleen's friends.

"Is dat all o' ya?" the boatman asked, straightening his cap.

"Yes, sir," Wallace responded. "Allow us a moment . . ."

Colleen walked over to her friends. She first gave her good-byes to Misty, Brock, Dawn, and Barry. _May and Winona must be particularly upset . . ._

Winona and May were both close to tears, taking their last kisses in a while from Wallace and Ash, respectively. Colleen quickly hugged Winona and May, not wanting to interfere with their conversations. Misty and Dawn both came over and slung their arms around the sadder girls. "We'll take care of her, don't worry!"

"'M sorry 'bout interruptin', but we need ta get goin', Champions," the boatman cut in hesitantly.

"Okay."

The Champions boarded the boat, and with a soft whir, the boat began to move away from the dock. Ash and Wallace waved until May and Winona became dots on the horizon. Pikachu and Pichu had hopped off their Trainers' shoulders, talking to each other in Pika-language on the floor of the boat.

"Pinkan Island is almost 'alf a day from Lilycove," the boatman reported, steering around a rock. "But in dis boat it'll take maybe five hours less. But since dis boat's small, y'all need ta sleep on deck."

"That fine, sir," Lance replied. "We can handle it."

"Colleen and Steven will be exceptionally happy, won't they?" Cynthia teased.

"You're becoming me, Cynthia!" Wallace laughed. "I teased these two endlessly when Colleen was but a teen. And my teasing came to life last week."

"Was that why you were always so quiet?" Lance asked, turning to Colleen. "Forgive me if I'm being too direct, but were you spacing out thinking of Steven?"

Colleen smiled, now unable to believe how quiet and recoiled she'd been in her journeys after Hoenn. "I was. I was heartbroken, I guess. It made me so . . . not myself. I had to force myself to talk, and I was always distracted."

"Man, you should've seen the rock maniac over here!" Wallace remarked, thumping Steven on the back. "He was all mopey and he wouldn't pay attention to anything. He tried to act normal, but we all knew he was trying to divert attention from his problems."

"I remember that May would always be telling me how much she wanted to see Colleen," Ash recalled with a laugh. "She knew something had to be wrong with her, since she'd taken such a blow. And when Steven confessed to Colleen, May went ecstatic and she barely slept at the hotel."

"You two sure have a grand love story." Lance and the others laughed at the blushing couple.

"If ya don't mind, I'd like ta used yer Water-type Pokémon to push 'n' pull us faster," the boatman suggested.

"Ah, time for me to shine!" Wallace tossed all of his Poké Balls, and his Milotic, Whiscash, Ludicolo, Gyarados, Tentacruel, and Wailord splashed into the water. Lance sent out his own Gyarados, while Cynthia sent out Gastrodon, Ash called Kingler, and Colleen tossed out Starmie. Everyone secured ropes to the Water-type Pokémon, and pretty soon, they were speeding through the water.

"We might not need ta spend da night on da boat, den! At this rate . . ." The boatman veered off for a moment, then continued, "It'll take us 'bout three hours!"

"That's much better!" Ash commented loudly over the wind, holding on to his hat. "Except it's so windy!"

"_PIIIIII!_" Pichu and Pikachu held on to each other before they blew away. Colleen and Cynthia quickly tied down their long hair.

With the Water-types towing the boat, the Champions did indeed reach an island in three hours. Colleen knew Pinkan Island was known for its pink Pokémon, but she couldn't see any of the renowned pink Pokémon!

After thanking the boatman and docking on a small wooden bridge, the Champions recalled their Pokémon. A few feet away stood a muscular man with dark spiky hair and a Poké Ball around his neck.

"Ah, Ash, Colleen!" Drake greeted. "Nice to see you both again." He shook the two Pokémon Masters' hands.

"Drake, where's the hideout?" Cynthia questioned.

Drake motioned for them to follow him. The Champions crept behind a large bush of Pinkan Berries and peered around the leaves.

Two guards dressed in all black stood in front of a cave opening. The Team Shadow emblem was on the chests of their jumpsuits, and shades covered their eyes. A Tyranitar stood on the side of one guard, its dark eyes sweeping all over the area.

"That Tyranitar has scared off all of the Pokémon," Drake whispered. "We need to take out the guards, and then the Tyranitar."

Lance turned to Colleen. "Do you have your Charizard, Colleen? You, Ash, and I could release our Charizard into the air and use a strong Fire-type move to knockout the guards. Then, while Tyranitar's stunned, the others can use their Pokémon to knock it out."

"That's a good idea, Lance," Drake nodded approvingly.

Colleen unzipped her bag and took out Charizard's Poké Ball. She, Ash, and Lance tossed their Poké Balls into the air. "Charizard, let's go!"

The three Charizard were able to hide behind the bush, and Colleen quietly explained, "You guys need to knockout the guards, okay? Do as much damage as you can to the Tyranitar, as well!"

The Charizard nodded, and flew upwards silently. At the same time, Lance, Ash, and Colleen shouted, "Flamethrower!"

The three Flamethrowers merged into a massive inferno, and after a huge explosion of smoke cleared, the guards lay on the ground, unconscious. The Tyranitar looked weak as well, but it was ready for a fight.

"Garchomp, battle dance!"

"We need your help, Armaldo!"

Once the two Pokémon appeared, Cynthia commanded, "Garchomp, use Dragon Claw!"

Garchomp's claws extended and glowed green and it slashed Tyranitar at blinding speed. Meanwhile, Steven called out, "Armaldo, Water Pulse!"

Once Garchomp was out of the way, Armaldo conjured a blue orb in its mouth and shot it at the Armor Pokemon. The sphere made contact, and after a burst of water, Tyranitar fell to the ground with a rumble and weak growl.

"Nice job, everyone," Drake commended. "Now let's move it."

"Return," Ash, Lance, and Colleen said, and their Charizard disappeared into their respective Poké Balls. Cynthia and Steven recalled their Pokémon, too, and then Drake led the Champions inside.

"We're more likely to run in to Pokémon than guards," Drake informed them as the sunlight from outside slowly decreased. "Mostly Zubat, Golbat, and Crobat. Keep your eyes peeled, everyone."

It was soon dark, but the lanterns hanging on the cave walls illuminated the passage. After about ten minutes of walking, the Champions reached a dead end. It was a spacious room in the shape of a circle, and there were tables and chairs there, along with several lights.

"Shouldn't there be some of them in here?" Ash questioned uncertainly, peeking under a table.

Pikachu and Pichu's ears twitched, and they began to look around. "What's up, you two?" Colleen asked them, getting an ominous feeling.

"_Pi! Pichu!_" Pichu cried frantically, pointing at the left wall. "_Chu!_"

"_Pika . . ._" Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and sparks flew out of its cheeks.

The left wall suddenly detonated, and dust clouded the vision of the Champions. Colleen tried to look around to see what was going on, but her eyes would sting if she opened them for only a second.

Finally, the dust cleared, and the Champions found themselves surrounded by a ring of Zubat, Golbat, and Crobat. Several people dressed like the guards were behind the Bat Pokémon.

"You people don't know when to give up, do you?" one of the Team Shadow members snarled. "Go!"

The Bat Pokémon screeched, and Colleen got an idea. She looked at Ash; he seemed to be thinking the same thing. Both nodded at each other, and yelled, "Pichu, Pikachu, double Thunder attack!"

Pichu and Pikachu jumped into the air and emitted a mammoth blast of electricity that lit up the room even more. The bats shrieked, and then fell to the ground with several thuds.

Drake pressed a button on his belt, and then shouted, "Go, Gengar!"

Gengar floated outside of its Poké Ball and went behind the Team Shadow grunts. "_Gengarrrrrr . . ._"

Following suit, Cynthia yelled, "Garchomp, battle dance!"

"Let's go, Aggron!"

"Aerodactyl, help us out!"

"You, too, Gyarados!

"I choose you, Charizard!"

"Heracross, battle begin!"

The seven Pokémon guarded the Team Shadow grunts, and Drake explained, "That button on my belt calls the local Officer Jenny here. They should be arriving—"

"Alright, Champions, we'll take it from here," a familiar voice declared. It was Jenny! She and her men began to handcuff the criminals.

"Thanks, Jenny," Drake nodded. "Come on, everyone—we need to get you to your next destination."

**A/N: I almost finished this chapter yesterday, but I didn't, so I'll post another chapter today, maybe, to catch up! Please R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Short author's note today :D Here's Chapter 4 everybody! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Pokémon's not mine.**

**The Champion Journeys**

**Chapter 4**

The Head Leader of the Orange Islands led the Champions outside and called out his Dragonite. "We need to fly to Pummelo Island, my home. There's a boat there that will take you to Newmoon Island there."

Everyone called out their Flying-types (Colleen's Charizard, Cynthia's Togekiss, Lance's Aerodactyl, Steven's Skarmory, and Ash's Charizard, while Wallace rode with Lance) and soared into the air. They followed Drake's Dragonite for about ten minutes and reached a larger island than Pinkan, with lots of foliage and houses. The thing that caught Colleen's eye was the Pummelo Stadium, and she smiled as she recalled her battle there.

Immediately after landing, a boat was in front of a wooden dock. "Here's where we part, Champions. I'll be heading for the Stadium now—I have a battle coming up. Farewell."

Drake mounted Dragonite once more and flew off towards the Pummelo Stadium, leaving the Champions with a sailor.

"Sailor Eldritch, at your service," the boatman introduced himself. "Here's my pride and joy, the S.S. Moon. I take special trips to Fullmoon and Newmoon Island. One boat to Newmoon today?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, pile in, then!"

The Champions hoisted themselves into the slightly bigger S.S. Moon, and Eldritch switched on the motor. The S.S. Moon traveled much faster than the previous boat, and the Champions speedily reached an island, not so far from another, surrounded by shady trees. As the Champions docked, Eldritch stayed on deck. He promised he'd be waiting for them after they came back, to take them to Cerulean Cave.

The Champions scooted through a few trees and reached a clearing with a shallow pond and several large boulders. The trees cast long shadows that cloaked the entire area in thin darkness.

"_Piiii . . ._" Pichu's arms tightened around Colleen's head.

"Here in Sinnoh, there is a legend that the Master of Nightmares, Darkrai, resides on this island," Cynthia told them, her grey eyes sweeping around for any sign of activity. "That island near us is Fullmoon Island, where Cresselia, one of the only Pokémon that can awaken people and Pokémon from Darkrai's nightmares, is said to live."

"I hope Darkrai knows we're here to stop some intruders," Ash added, looking around fearfully. "This place gives me the shivers!"

Wallace squinted, then pointed at a spot in front of them. "Hey! Does that look like a cave opening?"

The rest of them followed Wallace's finger, and saw a dark hole in the ground that stood out, even in the dusk. Lance said skeptically, "A _cave_ opening? Looks like a hole to me."

"Could that be the entrance to the hideout?" Colleen asked incredulously. "Through a hole in the ground?"

"This island _is_ empty, except for Darkrai, right, Cynthia?" Cynthia nodded, and Steven continued, "Then the opening could be anything, if no people are present here."

The Champions approached the hole and peered down it, only to see a dizzying depth of blackness. They looked at each other and then asked at the same time, "Is this actually safe?"

Pikachu looked down the hole from the rim, and immediately went back to Ash. "_Pikachuuuu . . ._"

"We have no choice," Cynthia pointed out. "We have to stop Team Shadow, end of story."

"So we . . . jump down there?" Wallace gulped. "We'd better not break our bones . . ."

"On the count of three, we'll jump. Agree?" Lance looked around, and everyone nodded, though halfheartedly. "One . . . two . . ."

"_Three!_"

Colleen took a deep breath and jumped, clutching Pichu and screwing her eyes shut as air whooshed around her. Her stomach was doing back flips, and the emptiness felt endless! Finally, though, Colleen's feet—or rather, her back—met solid ground.

Colleen winced as a rock stabbed at her back. "Oww . . ." Steven helped her onto her feet, and she looked around. The cave's layout was exactly like the base on Pinkan Island—it even seemed like the lanterns were in the same places. Except the corridor wasn't empty.

It was full of Ramparados. And they didn't look too friendly.

"Time for a fight!" Ash declared. "I choose you, Bulbasaur!"

"You, too, Whiscash!" Wallace shouted.

"Skarmory, let's go!" Steven commanded.

"Garchomp, battle dance!" Cynthia yelled.

"Aerodactyl, get ready for battle!" Lance added.

"Help us out, Starmie!" Colleen cried.

All six Pokémon made a ring around the Champions, tensed for a battle. The Trainers called their attacks.

"Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf!"

"Whiscash, Earthquake!"

"Skarmory, Steel Wing!

"Garchomp, Brick Break!"

"Aerodactyl, Crunch!"

"Starmie, Hydro Pump!"

The combined attacks of the Champions surprisingly took out all of the Golem. Immediately after the Golem fell, they disappeared. The Champions waited for a few moments, afraid of another attack, but none came. Scratching their heads, they continued.

After at least twenty twists and turns, the Champions unintentionally walked into a room full of Team Shadow grunts. Before they could walk out, the grunts turned on them.

"Hey, intruders!" one shouted.

"Not just any intruders!" yelled another. "Those are the _Pokémon Champions_!"

"Champions or not, we're takin' 'em down!" A grunt hooked a Poké Ball off his belt. "Pulverize 'em, Honchkrow!"

Several more yells filled the room, and once the flash cleared up, it was filled with Honchkrow, Weavile, Toxicroak, Purugly, and Crobat.

Ash and Colleen immediately called out, "Pichu, Pikachu, Thunder!"

Both electric mouse Pokémon let out a huge electricity burst that fried all of the Crobat and Honchkrow. Immediately afterwards, Colleen called for an Iron Tail on the Weavile, while Ash called for an Iron Tail on a lone Purugly.

Meanwhile, Steven shouted, "Aggron, Earthquake!" Upon entering the battlefield, Aggron stomped the ground and made the Toxicroak topple over. Cynthia then yelled, "Spiritomb, Psychic!"

A purple-pink ray emitted from Spiritomb's eyes and smashed the Toxicroak into the roof. Pichu's cry alerted Colleen that not all of the Weavile were out just yet. "Okay, Pichu, finish them off with Signal Beam!"

The rainbow-colored ray engulfed the Weavile, and finally, they were KO-ed. Colleen looked around and grinned—no more Pokémon on the enemy side.

The Team Shadow grunts were gaping. "That was incredibly fast."

Wallace smirked and pressed a button on his PokéNav (Drake had installed it for him). "And here come the police now!"

The room went into a panic, and almost instantly, Officer Jenny was there. She and her men quickly handcuffed the Team Shadow grunts and rounded up the Pokémon. "Thank you, Champions," Jenny smiled. "Good luck on the rest of your journey. We'll take you outside so you can head to your next location—Cerulean Cave."

********************************************************************************  
A/N: Another chapter done! Stay tuned for chapter 5 tomorrow (hopefully!)!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello everyone! Posting this chapter from Canada! :D I was bored, so here's chapter 5!**

**Disclaimer: I'd have rather flown to Canada on a Salamence . . . but I don't own Pokémon.**

**The Champion Journeys**

**Chapter 5**

Sailor Eldritch, as promised, was awaiting the Champions' return, and he ushered them onto the boat. "Next stop is Kanto's Cerulean Cave, Champions," he told them once everyone was on board. Eldritch turned on the motor. "The ride will take the whole night, but you all don't need to worry—I'll drive and you can get some rest. Don't knock yourselves out, though—getting to Cerulean Cave means lots of sharp twists and turns. Expect extreme turbulence."

"Which is the cue for me to take off my beret." As Wallace tried to find a good place for his white beret, he advised Ash, "You should probably take off your cap, too. It's even lighter than mine."

"I don't sleep with my cap on, anyway," Ash responded, taking off his cap to reveal his messy black hair. He placed it in a small compartment along with Wallace's beret under their feet.

"Hang on to the two electric mice, too," Eldritch added as the boat started gaining speed. "And the women—please tie down your hair or someone's not going to sleep tonight."

Cynthia laughed and produced a black scrunchie. "On it." She tossed Colleen a red scrunchie. "Sorry, Colleen, it's all I've got."

"No problem," Colleen answered, slipping her hair into the scrunchie. "Does red really clash that much with pink?"

"I'm no fashion expert, but . . . how do you think I would look wearing a pink hat?"

"Good point, Lance," Steven laughed.

Quiet settled over the Champions as soon as Ash began to snore, and pretty soon, all you could hear _was_ Ash's snoring. Pikachu and Pichu lay in their Trainers' laps, making silent noises as they slept. Colleen knew Cynthia was asleep once her tall shadow had slumped and when Lance and Wallace had folded themselves into their capes. Her eyes began to droop, and she found herself leaning on Steven.

"Good night," Steven whispered, putting his arm around Colleen and kissing her. "Sweet dreams."

"Good night," Colleen smiled, her eyes fluttering closed.

One of the caped men shifted, and twinkling aquamarine eyes peered at the couple. "_This _is why I didn't fall asleep!"

Colleen and Steven stiffened, then protested at the same time, "_Wallace!_"

Colleen had a surprisingly good sleep for someone sitting on a boat outside and leaning on another person all night. But her awakening couldn't have been more sudden. The boat screeched and lurched forward, snapping everyone out of their sleepy states and sending them sprawling towards the other side.

Steven grabbed Colleen's arm before she crashed into the other side of the boat, and Colleen quickly put Pichu in the crook of her other arm. Colleen looked around when the crashing stopped; it seemed the boat had docked on a pebbly beach.

"Now _that_ was an interesting way to lose nightmares . . ." Wallace muttered, rubbing the elbow that had hit the boat's rim. "Ouch . . ."

"_Pi chuuu . . ._"

"_Pikaaa . . ._"

A weary Eldritch appeared from the front deck. "My apologies, Champions, for the bumpy docking, but we have arrived on the cove of Cerulean Cave."

"No problem, sir," Cynthia said, straightening her windswept blonde hair. "Thank you for taking us here."

"You look rather tired yourself, sir," Lance added. "Perhaps you should take a few z's while we're gone?"

"That would be a good idea," Eldritch admitted. "I wish you luck, Champions, and I will be seeing you to take you to the Whirl Islands."

"Alright, sir, we'll be back soon!" The Champions began to walk on the beach.

"Our job's half done!" Ash remarked happily.

"But the big problem's going to be when we go back to Hoenn," Steven reminded them. "Jennifer said Team Shadow's base is in the Sealed Chamber. And Hoenn legends say that the Sealed Chamber has a huge connection with the Legendary Golems. We'll have to get done here in the Kanto-Johto landmass fast, because it seems like Team Shadow is trying to revive the golems."

"Shh, we're getting near," Lance warned. "The Pokémon in Cerulean Cave are extremely high levels, so in addition to Team Shadow's minions, watch out for those Pokémon, too."

"I'm guessing that's why Cerulean Cave is off-limits to most people?" Colleen peered inside the cave, and could already hear scuttling noises.

"Yes," Lance replied. "Most Trainers are not strong enough to venture inside this cave for that reason, so only people like us can enter. And even we need to be careful. I won't be able to help you guys out, because all of my Pokémon are Flying-types, which will not be a good choice in this cave."

The Champions began to walk through Cerulean Cave. At first, only a Parasect could be seen, but as they traveled deeper, more Pokémon like Kadabra and Machoke began to appear. Colleen eyed the Pokémon warily, ready to call for an attack.

The Champions reached a dead end; there were no doors or openings at all! The wild Pokémon Colleen had been watching all surrounded the Champions. There were almost fifty of them!

"That's our cue!" Ash declared. "I choose you, Tauros!"

"Ludicolo, you, too!"

"Armaldo, let's go!"

"Lucario, Garchomp, battle dance!"

"Gallade and Weavile, let the battle begin!"

The Pokémon appeared in front of their Trainers. Ash called, "Tauros, Fissure!"

Tauros mooed and went on its hind legs and stomped the ground. A burst of energy erupted from it and hit all of the Pokémon in the room.

"Ludicolo, Razor Leaf!" The spinning leaves sliced at the stunned Pokémon, but the Kadabra used their psychokinetic powers to spiral the leaves back at the other Pokémon. Steven responded, "Armaldo, use AncientPower to stop the leaves!"

Large rocks burst out from the ground and shielded the Champions' Pokémon from the returned Razor Leaf, then proceeded to strike the Pokémon. The Machoke, however, stopped the rocks and, with the Kadabra's help, threw them back at the Champions' Pokémon!

"These Pokémon are smart, and we haven't taken out any of them!" Cynthia said in frustration. "Okay, Lucario, Aura Sphere! Garchomp, Earthquake!"

Lucario conjured a glowing blue sphere and shot it at the Pokémon. A cloud of dust billowed out.

"Great job, Cynthia!" Lance called. "The Pokémon on my side of the room are KOed!"

Garchomp took advantage of the moment and stomped the ground. A pulse rippled through the floor, and the Pokémon attempted to stop the shaking.

"Gallade, Psycho Cut!" Colleen shouted. "Weavile, follow up with Blizzard!"

Gallade's blade-like arms glowed purple, and it sliced the air. Purple crescents collided with all the Pokémon in the room.

Weavile then opened its mouth and a mammoth blast of frigid air and ice pelted the other Pokémon.

"They look weak!" Ash grinned at Colleen. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Colleen grinned back. "You bet!"

Together, the two Pokémon Masters yelled triumphantly, "Pikachu, Pichu, Thunder!"

A blinding flash of electricity illuminated the cave, and the Pokémon gave weak cries as they fell to the floor, unconscious. However, the Champions stayed on their guard.

"Where's Team Shadow?" Steven wondered aloud. "Don't they usually come out when their Pokémon are defeated?"

"And I don't see any openings or suspicious things . . ." Wallace's voice trailed off, and the other Champions looked at him.

"Do you think Team Shadow's Kanto branch . . . found out about us?" Colleen said tentatively. "I mean, think about it—there's been plenty of time for Team Shadow's Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn branches to realize something was up when they received no contact from the Orange Island and Sinnoh's branches. Even if they didn't know _exactly_ what was going on, they were smart enough to relocate."

"These guys aren't as dumb as we'd hoped they'd be . . ." Lance frowned. "That means we just knocked out the _wild_ Pokémon of Cerulean Cave! These poor Pokémon didn't have anything to do with Team Shadow; they were just being territorial since humans are so rare in here!"

"Then we can't be wasting any time," Cynthia said, returning her Pokémon to their Poké Balls. The others followed suit. "Let's head out for Johto—hopefully, they haven't found anything out yet . . ."

The Champions retraced their steps out of Cerulean Cave, and as soon as they were outside, Colleen's PokéNav chimed. Colleen looked at the caller ID—it said Jennifer Marble. "Hello?"

"Colleen, this is Jennifer Marble. Could you please put your PokéNav on speaker?"

"Of course." Colleen pressed the green button, and Jennifer's voice rang out clearly to the Champions.

"Champions, this is Jennifer. I am very sorry for not telling you sooner, but my calls would not go through because you all had no connection: Team Shadow's Kanto and Johto branches have relocated."

"We found that out," Cynthia answered. "We just trekked through Cerulean Cave and didn't find anything."

"Again, I apologize, Champions. But I have some news. The slightly good news: we know that the Kanto and Johto Team Shadow sectors have joined with the Hoenn branch."

"And the bad news?" Lance asked hesitantly.

"Hoenn's Team Shadow base has moved as well. And we have no clue where."

"Oh, man," Wallace groaned. "What are we going to do now?"

"For now, we're calling you back to Hoenn," Jennifer answered. "Eldritch is returning to Sinnoh as we speak. Wait on Cerulean City's outskirts; we're sending a jet to fly you here. I'll see you back in Lilycove, Champions."

**A/N: There it is! I'll update ASAP! R&R!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Not much to say except here's chapter 6 everyone! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I got SO CLOSE to battling Dome Ace Tucker (only to get creamed again :P) and Arena Tycoon Greta (who'd be an easy target for me, since my Battle Frontier team has a Metagross, Crobat, and Flygon). But I don't own Pokémon.**

**The Champion Journeys**

**Chapter 6**

The phone clicked off, and the Champions returned to the dock, where Eldritch's boat was absent. "Cerulean City's outskirts are just east of here," Lance told them. "We'll need to have a Pokémon to Surf on."

"No prob for me!" Wallace tossed an Ultra Ball into the water. "Milotic, help me out!"

"Dragonite, you, too!"

"Gastrodon, battle dance!"

"Aggron, let's go!"

"Totodile, go!"

"Empoleon, I choose you!"

The six Surfing Pokémon looked at their Trainers expectantly. "Just Surf us east until we get to the next shore, okay, guys?" Ash pointed to his right to emphasize his point.

The Pokémon nodded, and their Trainers held on to them as they propelled towards the faint shoreline. They were there within a couple of minutes, and they returned their Pokémon.

"And now, we wait."

Colleen took a seat on the ground and played with Pichu until a sudden wind whipped up, signaling the jet's arrival. A white plane landed on the ground, and the door slid open to reveal a man in a suit. "Welcome to Private Jet Services, Champions. I will be your attendant for this afternoon."

The Champions boarded the plane and sat in individual seats. The flight attendant gave each of them a plate of chicken and rice and a bottle of water. "This flight will take only two hours. Please remain in your seats until then."

The plane began to ascend, and soon enough Colleen fell into a doze. Everyone was quiet, except for the occasional, "How much longer until we get there?" After what seemed like five hours, the plane finally landed. After thanking the pilot and the flight attendant, the Champions left the plane and embraced the lovely Lilycove afternoon.

The Champions had landed in what seemed like Lilycove's outskirts, but May, Winona, Brock, Misty, Dawn, Barry, and Jennifer had been waiting for them. May and Winona rushed into Ash and Wallace's arms.

"Welcome back!" Brock greeted. "That sure was fast!"

"Two certain people here don't seem to mind," Misty laughed.

"How was the journey?" Dawn asked.

"Man, I wish I could've gone!" Barry complained. "But I'm not a Champion or Master—_yet_."

"It was okay, I guess . . ." Colleen trailed off.

". . . but it's nice to be back in Hoenn," Steven finished with a smile.

"You two can read each others' minds!" Wallace said dramatically. "Ah, true lovers . . ."

"_Chu chu_," Pichu nodded sagely.

Everyone laughed, and then Jennifer approached the Champions. "Champions, I am glad to see you back in one piece. I won't bore you with unnecessary details, but all you need to know is this warning: Team Shadow can strike anywhere at any time. I'd like you all to stay within Lilycove City for the time being. Any suspicious activity should be reported to me. When more information comes, I will call you. But for now, please enjoy yourselves.

"Oh! And Steven, your father asked me to tell you something." Jennifer turned to the silver-haired Champion. "He says he's sorry for not being in contact with you lately because he's busy at the Devon Corp building, and begs that you and Colleen try to stay in one piece when the time comes to face the worst of Team Shadow." Jennifer smiled and waved, heading her own way.

"Well, what should we do now?" Winona asked. "It's around noon . . ."

"How about a quintuple lunch date?" May suggested, her blue eyes glimmering as she grabbed onto Ash's arm.

"That'd be awesome!" Dawn squealed.

Misty glanced at Lance and Cynthia, both of which who looked embarrassed. "But these two . . ."

"I don't want to interrupt your date," Cynthia responded. "I've wanted to go to the Contest Hall to see some Contests, so I'll go there."

"And I'll check out the Museum," Lance added. "See you guys later!"

Cynthia and Lance both started on the same path, and each of the girls slipped their hands into their boyfriends' (husband's, in Winona's case). "What should we do?" Colleen asked excitedly, picking up Pichu and looking up at Steven.

"Lunch first, definitely," Steven smiled, squeezing Colleen's hand affectionately.

"Shopping later!" the girls chorused, giggling. The boys laughed.

"We need to go through the mall to find a restaurant anyway," Brock remarked. "Well, let's go, everyone."

The couples headed for Lilycove Mall. The mall was bustling, and many heads turned to see the famous Trainers walking amongst them. "Dante's Café was restaurant of the month in Hoenn, so we should go there!" Dawn pulled Barry towards the right side of the mall.

"My question is . . . is it cheap?"

"Barry!"

"Just kidding, Dawn! Even if it isn't, anything for you."

"Aww, how sweet!"

"What about you and Ash over there, May? You're always holding each others' hands!"

"What about you and Brock _behind the scenes_, Misty?"

"The only ones who'd be doing anything _behind the scenes_ would be our married couple over there (cough Wallace and Winona) . . ."

"Or our _good-as-married_ couple who's staying awfully quiet in this conversation . . . (cough Steven and Colleen) . . ."

"Don't pull us into this!"

Pichu and Pikachu's eyes met, and both rolled their eyes at their Trainers' antics. "_Pi, pi . . ._"

The café was hard-to-miss, with its bright colors and large sign. Even so, there were only five or so customers seated at a single table. _Maybe it _is _expensive?_ Colleen thought offhandedly. _Oh, well, I don't shop much anyway . . ._

"_Chingling!_" a small yellow bell-like Pokémon greeted them in its musical tone when the Trainers opened the door to the café.

"Aww, how cute!" Misty laughed, patting the Bell Pokémon's tiny forehead.

The Trainers sat down at one of the tables near the end of the café, which was larger than the others, so they could sit together. A waiter came to their table promptly, setting down ten menus, then left. Colleen opened the menu and scanned the entrées. _Not bad pricing, it could go down a little, but okay . . ._

Another man came to their table and bowed. "I am so honored to serve Pokémon Masters, Champions, Coordinators, Trainers, and Gym Leaders today! I hope you enjoy my cooking! I am Dante, owner of this café. I have a call for Miss Colleen Rose . . . ?"

"That's me," Colleen said in surprise. "But who's it from?"

"A Mr. Brendan Cedarwood, if I recall correctly."

_Brendan? _Colleen couldn't believe it. _I haven't heard from Brendan since I became Champion of Hoenn! _She stood and told the others, "I'll be right back. Pichu, you can stay here, okay?"

"_Pichu!_" Pichu nodded and turned back to Ash's Pikachu.

Colleen followed Dante across the restaurant and to the pay phone. He gestured to the phone, smiling, and walked behind the counter. Colleen was about to pick up the phone when she noticed a black circle on Dante's arm.

_Maybe it's a burn?_ Colleen told herself. But then Dante unconsciously rolled up his sleeves ever so slightly to reveal more black circles. Colleen gasped. _Oh my goodness, that's the mark of Team Shadow!_

Colleen looked back at the phone, everything falling into place. Brendan had never called her on a pay phone, but on her PokéNav instead! Dante had tried to bait her, which meant this restaurant must be Team Shadow's hideout!

_I have to warn the others!_ Colleen thought. She put the phone back in place and dashed back to her table.

"Guys, we have a problem!" Colleen exclaimed, lowering her voice. "We have to get out of here, and fast! Dante has a tattoo or something on his arm in the mark of Team Shadow! It might be dangerous if we stay!"

The others stood immediately, and Colleen was about to start sprinting when something held her back. She saw an arm around her neck with the Team Shadow mark branded into his skin. _Dante!_

"Leaving without eating?" Dante growled, sounding so much more different than only minutes ago. "I'm hurt." Colleen struggled against his hold, but it was no use.

"Let her go!" Steven said firmly, his hand clutching a Poké Ball.

"_Pichu!_" Pichu threatened, electricity sparking from its pink cheeks.

Before Colleen knew what was happening, she was drenched from head to toe with icy cold water. She sneezed and shivered, trying to shake her sopping hair out of her eyes. Dante laughed. "You try and shock me, you puny little mouse, you're going to do more damage to your Trainer than me. And you, Mr. Stone, can't release any of your Pokémon into this restaurant without causing a public disturbance."

"I don't have to release a Pokémon to get Colleen back," Steven said in an undertone.

Colleen was struggling to reach her backpack and call for one of her Pokémon, but Dante snapped off her bag and threw it onto the floor. "Milord was right, you are quite the feisty one," he grunted. Without warning, he spun around and began to sprint towards the back of the café.

Colleen did everything she could to break free, but Dante didn't even flinch. She could hear everyone shouting and sprinting after Dante, Pichu and Steven loudest of all. Dante reached a door and shoved her inside. The floor fell from Colleen's feet—literally! Colleen found herself clutching onto a row of slippery tiles. Her hand slipped, only to be caught by Steven's.

"Colleen, I'll help you up!" Steven called, pulling on her arm. Colleen thought Steven could do it, but the darkness seemed to pulling her into its void!

"Steven, it's pulling me in!" Colleen cried desperately.

Steven pulled harder, but the force of the void strengthened as well. Colleen felt her fingers slipping, and the more she tried to grasp Steven's hand, the more she slipped. Until Colleen could feel nothing.

"_Colleen, no_!"

"_PIIICHUU!_"

"_Steven!_" Colleen screamed, struggling to see his face. "_STEVEN!_"

The void completely swallowed Colleen, and her consciousness left her.

**A/N: Hopefully, I'll have chapter 7 soon! Until then, R&R!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Chapter 7 everyone! This chapter has more of the as-T-rated-as-it-could-go stuff, so you've been warned. Enjoy anyway! **

**Disclaimer: No Pokémon-owning rights here!**

**The Champion Journeys**

**Chapter 7**

Colleen groaned when her consciousness returned. She opened her eyes, dearly hoping Steven had saved her by some great miracle. The good news was, there was no never-ending blackness around her or pressure pulling her down. But the bad news was, Colleen knew she wasn't with the others. She couldn't see anyone; there was simply a cold room with a grand canopy bed and cherry wood furniture. She was lying on a soft rug, not even tied down.

_The door's right there,_ Colleen thought, hoisting herself up. _Hopefully I won't have my head chopped off the moment I exit._

Colleen got to her feet and made a beeline for the door. Unfortunately, the door opened at that very moment and Colleen bumped into the person entering.

"Now, where would you be going, my darling?" a smooth voice asked, his hands grabbing Colleen's wrists. Colleen looked up in disgust and met dull golden eyes. Her own eyes widened as she recognized the mop of black hair topped off with the Ultra Ball cap.

"_Ethan?_" Colleen gasped.

Ethan smiled. "Oh, yes, my dear Colleen. I'm so glad you remembered after all these years we've been apart."

Ethan looked the same as when he'd confronted Colleen in the Scorched Slab years ago; lifeless and controlled by his desires. What had Colleen worried was that one of Ethan's desires was to make her his.

"But Ethan, the last time we met, you disappeared—"

Ethan gave a rough laugh. "That bastard Giovanni sure knew how to act. He teleported me away when he saw things getting out of hand. Your innocence got to me, and Giovanni didn't want me to turn away from him." Ethan laughed again. "I ended up doing so anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, I should introduce my _new_ self!" Ethan's grip left Colleen's wrists, and he rolled up one of his sleeves to reveal three black circles on his arm. "I am Ethan Forest, the leader of Team Shadow."

Colleen knew she was in deep trouble now, and she involuntarily took a couple steps back.

"You look adorable when you're confused," Ethan smirked. "Allow me to explain. After Giovanni teleported me, I realized I'd have to do things my way to get what I wanted. I escaped and waited for the opportune moment for me to start my new life.

"When Giovanni was arrested, Team Rocket fell apart. A few months later, in Sinnoh, Team Galactic disbanded as well. I hurried from region to region, recruiting the remnants of each organization. Thus, I built my own group—Team Shadow."

"But why, Ethan?" Colleen's voice began to rise. "Why did you all of this? You've hurt so many innocents, ruined so many lives! This isn't the Ethan that Brendan and I knew!"

"You haven't guessed?" Ethan's face turned serious, and he swept Colleen into his arms. He whispered near her ear, "It was all so I could make you mine."

Colleen pushed herself away from Ethan. "Ethan, I said it seven years ago and I will say it again: I love you, but as a _friend_."

"Friendship becomes love," Ethan said simply. "You just need to figure out your feelings."

Colleen shook her head. "Ethan, I _know_ who I love, and that person is Steven." She met Ethan's frozen eyes. "I'm happy with Steven, and we love each other very much."

Ethan's face turned back to normal. "Is that so?" he said lightly. "I understand."

Colleen felt a wave of relief wash over her. "You do?"

Ethan smirked. "But as you said, I'm not the Ethan you and our late friend Brendan knew."

Colleen's heart stopped. "Late? What do you mean by—"

"Brendan Cedarwood is dead. And I killed him."

Colleen's eyes filled with tears and her fists clenched. "_Ethan, what is wrong with you?"_ she shouted. "You killed your own _friend_, you are behind the killings of all those other people!"

"Guilty, but undercharged," Ethan said, leering at Colleen and stepping towards her. Colleen reactively stepped back and fell back onto the bed. Ethan's smirk widened and he put his arms on either side of her, leaning in a little. "By the time I'm done, I'll have the heads of your precious Champions as well."

"They aren't dumb enough to come for me," Colleen shot back, but she already doubted her words.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Ethan leaned in so close that his nose was touching Colleen's. "You and I both know _very well_ that there is a particular Champion who will stop at nothing to get you back."

"Steven wouldn't!" Colleen insisted, but her heart was sinking.

Ethan laughed. "Oh yes he would. Until then, we . . ." He began leaning in much too close for Colleen's comfort, and she lashed out. Ethan kept getting closer. ". . . are going to have some fun till your boyfriend comes back. Feeling cold? I'm gonna warm you up so much you'll melt ice with your sacred body . . ."

"No, please, Ethan, st—!" Colleen's words were silenced by Ethan's lips. She thrashed, trying to get free, but Ethan drew away after a few seconds.

"Colleen, I've waited too long to taste you . . ." Lust sparked like fire in Ethan's dull eyes as he tried to strip Colleen of her clothes. Colleen felt her shirt tear as she fought back insistently, doing anything she could to keep Ethan away, but all it took was two tugs for her clothes to rip and fall away to reveal her undergarments.

"Ethan, please . . ." Colleen pleaded, but Ethan dove to kiss her again, catching her off guard and slipping his tongue into her mouth while his hands roamed around her body. Colleen knew she wouldn't be able to reach Ethan now, so she prayed, _Lord Arceus, please, I don't want this, not with Ethan! Please, please, dear Arceus, do something . . ._

Just as Ethan was about to unclasp Colleen's bra, a knock emitted from the door. Ethan snarled and redressed himself, pushing Colleen onto the floor to attend to the door. Colleen clasped her hands, her heart slowing down. _Thank you, Arceus, thank you so much . . ._

Ethan came back, scowling. "We'll finish what we started later," he growled, picking up Colleen's clothes and slamming the door as he left.

Colleen stared up at the ceiling, too sore and traumatized to move, her tears falling and soaking the pillow. _My childhood friend nearly _raped_ me!_ Colleen cradled her throbbing arm. _How did Ethan change so much? He was so sweet and funny when we were kids, and now . . . he's destroying the whole world just so he can have me. Is this really the guy who bragged about how strong he'd be when he was younger, who'd enrage wild Poochyena and come home boasting about how he'd fended them off? Now he's so power-hungry and lustful . . . I have to be careful. Ethan can do whatever he wants with me, and I can't be saved by someone knocking on the door every time . . . _

At that moment, the door flung open and Colleen cringed in fear. Ethan appeared with a Team Shadow guard. He warned the grunt, "You touch her and I skin you, understand?" The grunt nodded mutely.

The Team Shadow grunt approached Colleen immediately after the door swung shut, and Colleen flinched, hugging herself tightly and screwing her eyes shut. Her body trembled as she struggled to keep herself covered and warm.

"Colleen?"

_That voice . . . _Colleen lifted her head slightly and her body loosened a little. "S-Steven?"

Steven looked down at her, eyes full of compassion. He took off his Team Shadow uniform and shed his outer coat, draping it around Colleen's shoulders. Colleen relished in the coat's warmth and looked up at Steven, her lower lip trembling and her tears spilling out anew. "Steven . . . he . . . he . . ."

Colleen let her tears fall as Steven's embrace comforted her. Steven kissed her for a long time, and Colleen had never loved the feeling of his lips on hers more. "You don't have to tell me, Colleen. I know. It's okay."

"I was so s-scared," Colleen shuddered. "If s-someone hadn't knocked on the door when they d-did, I would've been . . ."

"It's okay, Colleen," Steven soothed her, stroking her head. "I'm here, and I swear I'll get you out."

"How touching!"

Colleen shrank into Steven's arms, which tightened around her. Ethan laughed. "The knight has come for his princess. Such a shame he won't be around for much longer."

**A/N: R&R please!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry about my long absence! I got so busy here in Canada with relatives—and my trip's almost ending, too! :( Also, I'm glad to announce that **_**The Hoenn Journeys**_** has **_**111 REVIEWS!**_** I'm so happy! Thank you to RabbidFangirl for bringing the number up and over 100! Enough wait, so here's chapter 8!**

**Disclaimer: My Feraligatr's got abnormally bad Attack: only 219 at LV. 83 :( Don't own Pokémon.**

**The Champion Journeys**

**Chapter 8**

"So _predictable_," Ethan continued, leering eerily at Colleen. "He would come even if I had a gunman outside to kill him."

"Even a million gunmen wouldn't stop me!" Steven's arms tightened around Colleen even more. "I love Colleen and nothing stands in my way when it comes to her!"

Ethan laughed. "I love Colleen, as well, and I'm going to keep fighting to get her back. GUARDS!"

A dozen or so Team Shadow grunts filed into Ethan's room, surrounding Steven and Colleen. "Just great," Steven muttered.

Colleen lifted her head to look at Ethan. She tried again, "Ethan, I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll ever fall in love with you. I love _Steven_, and that will never change."

"I don't care," Ethan responded. "I love you, and that's all there is to it. I'll make you mine."

"Not while I'm here," Steven said in an undertone, his eyes searching the room, calculating. Suddenly, he swept Colleen into his arms bridal-style and began to sprint out the door.

"GET THEM!" Ethan roared, the staccato of feet piquing Colleen's ears.

"Steven, do you know the way out of here?" Colleen asked as Steven rounded the corner.

"Don't worry about that, we've got to worry about making it in time!" Steven winced and Colleen's eyes widened as the two heard bullets being fired.

"I don't care what you do with Steven, but don't harm Colleen!" Colleen could hear Ethan's voice screaming.

"Steven, how much longer till we're out?" Colleen asked worriedly as Steven rounded another corner.

"Just another minute or so!" Steven glanced backwards. "The guards are gaining on us . . ." His pace picked up, and Colleen could hints of panting in his breathing.

Colleen gasped as a bullet just missed Steven's leg and charred a hole in his dress pants. Steven stumbled and inhaled sharply, but he got back up and his pace quickened even more. Despite this, the guards were still gaining.

Thankfully, Colleen and Steven made it out before the Team Shadow guards and Ethan. Steven came to a halt and panted, "Aggron, help me out!" The Iron Armor Pokémon roared. "Use Iron Defense and follow up with Hyper Beam!"

As the guards caught up and fired at Aggron, Aggron's body was outlined in light blue and the bullets had no effect. Then, Aggron fired a mammoth white beam at the guards, who immediately blasted into the evening sky. Ethan managed to avoid it, but with Aggron there, he couldn't do anything else.

"Aggron, I need you to Surf to Mossdeep, as well," Steven told the Steel- and Rock-type Pokémon. Aggron nodded lowered itself into the water. Steven placed Colleen onto Aggron's back, slipping behind her, and Aggron began to move.

"Oh, no, you don't! Follow them, Swampert!"

Colleen gasped as she recognized the Mud Fish Pokémon. "That's Brendan's Swampert!"

"What do you think, I'd leave Brendan's strong Pokémon in the hands of some weakling? Let's give them a taste of your power, Swampert! Use Surf!"

"Counter with a Surf of your own, Aggron!"

Swampert's Surf was a match for Aggron's, but it gave Aggron enough time to gain some distance. Steven called, "SolarBeam!"

Without sunlight, Aggron's SolarBeam took almost two full minutes to charge up, but it hit home, sending Ethan and Swampert back to shore. As far as they could tell, Ethan wasn't persisting.

Steven's stiff body relaxed, and he gave a sigh of relief. "That was way too close for comfort."

"Yeah . . ." Colleen snuggled into Steven's embrace and his jacket, letting the safe feeling envelop her and calm her rattled nerves. "So, um, wh-where are we?"

"That island was a small one off the coast of Mossdeep that many normally ignore. Lilycove, at this point, is way too far to make the journey at night, so we're going to my home in Mossdeep."

"Oh." Colleen had almost forgotten Steven had a home in Mossdeep, as she'd never been there.

Aggron reached Mossdeep's shores five minutes later, and Steven returned it to its Poké Ball. Colleen remembered the last time she'd been here was almost ten years ago, when she challenged Tate and Liza of the Mossdeep City Gym.

"I hope no one sees us," Steven said quietly, taking Colleen's hand. "Since you aren't exactly 'clothed,' people can start rumors . . ."

Fortunately, no one did see the couple, and Steven unlocked the front door of his house, motioning for Colleen to enter.

Steven's house was very simple and tidy, with only three rooms. One seemed to be a master bathroom, one a storage room, and the one Colleen had entered; a dining room and kitchen. "It's not much," Steven chuckled sheepishly. "I don't come home a lot, but sometimes it's helpful for it to be here."

"It's n-nice," Colleen assured him, feeling at home already.

"Please, sit down," Steven told her as he headed for the kitchen. "I'll whip up something really quick. Unfortunately, I have very little cooking supplies here." Colleen sat down at the dinner table when Steven suddenly turned to her, blushing lightly. "Um, there might be another problem . . . I don't have any clothes here. I packed all my clothes into my bag, which I left back at Cove Lily Hotel . . ."

Colleen immediately reddened. Steven looked at her timidly and suggested, "If you keep my jacket on and zip it up, it'll look like a dress . . ."

"Y-yeah . . ." Colleen looked down embarrassedly. Steven smiled at her apologetically and reassured her, "Don't worry. You can trust me, right?"

Colleen nodded, but kept her gaze down for a different reason. Steven looked through the cupboards and asked, "How does chicken noodle soup sound?"

"Anything's f-fine."

Steven turned to look at Colleen, putting the chicken noodle soup in the microwave. "Your voice is shaking. Feeling cold?"

Colleen shuddered, hearing Ethan's voice say that in place of Steven's. When she didn't answer, Steven came over and sat down next to her, trying to look at her face. "Colleen?"

Colleen's answer came out as a squeak, to which Steven lifted her chin and saw her averted gaze and tear-stained cheeks. "Colleen, what's wrong?" he asked softly.

Colleen's dam broke, and tears began to splash. "Oh, Steven, it feels like _everything's_ wrong!" she cried. "I trusted Ethan, he was one of my best friends, and look at what he's done! He's the head of Team Shadow, he killed our best friend Brendan and stole his Pokémon, and he tried to _rape_ me! Look at what he's done to the world, and all because of me! I feel like it was all my fault! It feels like I've betrayed your trust, my lips feel so _tainted_—"

Steven put a finger to her lips and shushed her gently, replacing his finger with his lips. When his lips left hers, Steven pulled her into a hug. "Colleen, you aren't to blame for anything here. If anyone, the fault is on Ethan. He made these choices, not you. I'm sorry about everything he's done to hurt your trust, soul, and loved ones, but there is no use dwelling on the past. As for me, you haven't betrayed me in any way. And if your lips feel tainted—" Steven leveled his gaze with Colleen's with a mischievous smile. "I'll always have a special little way to make you feel better."

Colleen had to smile, her heart lifting at Steven's loyal kindness. Playing along, she teased, "And what 'special little way' would that be?"

Steven smiled mischievously and pulled Colleen closer to him. "Oh, I'm sure you'll like it . . ." he murmured lowly as they the distance between them got smaller and Colleen felt his breath on her lips.

A sharp _TIIIII_ sound from the microwave startled them, and as Steven got up, Colleen pretended to pout, "Aww, I didn't get to find out what it was!"

Steven gave Colleen a naughty smile as he brought two bowls of soup to the table. "We'll continue later; I prefer dessert _after_ dinner."

Colleen hit his arm playfully, blushing and laughing at the same time, and hugged Steven. "Thanks for making me feel better, Steven. I love you."

Steven returned the hug, kissing the top of Colleen's head. "Anything for you, Colleen. Love you, too. Now let's finish the soup, I want to taste the cake as soon as possible."

"Someone's feeling awfully flirty tonight," Colleen giggled, blowing on her spoonful of soup.

"It's because I'm well aware that my very beautiful and sexy girlfriend is wearing practically nothing under my jacket," Steven responded with a teasing smirk.

Colleen nearly spit out her soup in laughter. "It seems someone's feeling awfully _perverted_, too . . ."

"Look at the predicament: we're a young couple alone in my house at night flirting and being perverted and you're wearing barely anything."

"I'm not the one flirting and being perverted," Colleen laughed, barely getting out her words. "Don't go Wallace on me!"

"Okay, I'll stop now," Steven laughed. "Your reactions were something to see, though."

The couple ate the rest of their soup in silence, and Colleen had nearly forgotten about the ordeal when Steven approached her with a mischievous grin. "Now, let's continue my 'special little way' to make you feel better . . . but I fear that we might not be sleeping tonight . . ."

**A/N: Let your mind think what happens next :P Phew, there's chapter 8! R&R!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So here I am with chapter 9! Not much else to say :P**

**Disclaimer: Right now I wish Pokémon existed, so **_**bored . . .**_** don't own it.**

**The Champion Journeys**

**Chapter 9**

When Colleen awoke in Steven's bed, she still couldn't believe what had happened last night, but the soft material of the blanket against her body and direct warmth radiating from Steven reassured her. Steven's 'special little way' to make Colleen feel better had accidentally gotten out of hand, and they ended up doing the unthinkable. If Wallace somehow found out, Colleen and Steven wouldn't hear the end of it.

_I told Arceus I wasn't ready and look what we did,_ Colleen thought, smiling a little. _Well, at least it was Steven instead of Ethan, and it wasn't bad._

Colleen heard the other pillow rustle, and turned her head to meet Steven's twinkling eyes. "Good morning," he smiled.

Colleen smiled back. "Good morning."

Steven kissed her and pulled her into his arms. "Remind me never to bring you into my house alone when you're scantily dressed."

"There's a problem with that," Colleen giggled. "I have no clothes at the moment, remember?"

"Don't make me lose control again," Steven teased. He got up and stretched. "I'll get change and buy some clothes for you, okay? Keep sleeping if you want."

"Okay. Thanks." Steven bent to kiss her and picked up his clothes, heading for the bathroom. Colleen snuggled into the covers and sank under the clouds again.

Colleen woke again about half an hour later. Steven hadn't returned yet, so Colleen got up and took a shower, managing to create a decent dress of some sort out of a long baby blue towel. She found a carton of eggs and a loaf of bread, and as soon as she began to scramble a couple of eggs, Steven returned.

"Sorry it took me some time," he said, greeting Colleen with a kiss. "If you can believe it, there are _still_ fangirl problems."

Colleen giggled and put the two plates of eggs and toast on the table. "I'll go change, be right back." She bounced off to the bathroom and quickly changed into the yellow cardigan, pink flip-flops, and denim skirt Steven had bought. Once she returned to the breakfast table, she began to eat. Colleen and Steven ate in silence for quite a while, until Steven said, "Colleen?"

"Yeah?"

Steven looked fidgety, which struck Colleen as odd. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Fire away," Colleen replied, wondering why Steven was so nervous.

Steven opened his mouth when his PokéNav pinged. He put the receiver to his ear. "Hello? Oh, hey, Wallace. Yeah, I got Colleen back, and we're coming back in an hour or so. Sorry I didn't call yesterday, we got to my house a little late. Okay, don't start on that. See you soon. Bye." Steven clicked the PokéNav off and told Colleen, "Wallace was asking when we'd get home."

"Oh, okay. So, what were you going to ask me?"

"Oh . . . uh, I was going to ask if Wallace called, but he just did, so never mind."

_Is that really it?_ Colleen asked herself as Steven rose from the table and washed his plate. She followed suit.

Once the plates were on a rack to dry, the couple stepped outside. Steven released Skarmory and told it to fly to Lilycove. Skarmory gave an understanding caw and both Champions sat themselves onto its back. Skarmory extended its sharp red and silver wings and took flight.

Steven seemed back to normal once they were in the air. He talked to her and hugged her, like he usually would. Colleen couldn't stop wondering about whether Steven was really going to ask her if Wallace had called. He had seemed so tense!

About an hour later, Skarmory landed, and Steven returned it to its Poké Ball. "Wallace said he'd be waiting near the Lilycove Museum with everyone else," he explained, scanning the area. "We're near the hotel right now, so we need to head north. Shouldn't take too long."

In five minutes, Colleen and Steven spotted Pichu dashing towards them, overjoyed. "_PI PI PI!_" it cried, jumping into Colleen's arms.

"Pichu!"

"_Chuuu . . ._" Pichu nuzzled Colleen's cheeks.

Ash, May, Pikachu, Brock, Misty, Winona, Wallace, Dawn, and Barry came over the hill a little ways behind Pichu. May ran over to hug Colleen.

"It's so great to see you!" May squealed. "We were so worried!"

Dawn and Misty followed. "Are you okay?" Dawn asked concernedly. "We heard what happened."

"He didn't . . . do anything, right?" Misty's green eyes wide.

"Steven saved me," Colleen shuddered. "If it weren't for him . . ."

"It's good to know that you're all right, though," Brock said, smiling.

"Nothing stops us Pokémon Masters, right, Colleen?" Ash declared.

"No way!" Colleen and Ash high-fived, Pichu and Pikachu following.

"So . . ." Wallace's grin was huge. "You spent the night at Steven's house, eh?"

Both Colleen and Steven reddened. "It—it was the closest place to where Colleen was," Steven defended.

"And you expect us to believe nothing happened?"

If possible, Colleen and Steven grew even redder. "Um-er-uh-er-um—"

"Virgin population has decreased by two . . . and by the two people I never thought could make love."

"Okay, Wallace, that's enough," Winona stated firmly, a smile playing at her lips. "It's their personal life."

"Fine, fine, back to general life," Wallace sighed. "So, Jennifer's waiting on the second floor of the museum with Lance and Cynthia. We have another meeting to attend to, ASAP."

"Let's go, then." The Champions quickly went inside, greeted by Jennifer. She led them to the top floor, and they met up with the blonde and redheaded Champions. After taking their seats, Jennifer began to speak.

"Champions, we have to act fast now. Team Shadow's base hasn't moved, and right now, we have the element of surprise. We can end this. However . . ." Jennifer looked to Colleen. "Colleen, yesterday must have been traumatizing for you. Are you ready to get on the move at this time?"

"Of course I am! Like you said, we can't waste any time."

Jennifer suddenly looked sympathetic. "Colleen . . . I know you know this, but . . . you are technically going to war against your friend. Since Mr. Forest is now a criminal, we have permission to arrest and kill him, if it comes to that. I also wish to ask you . . . are you up for this?"

"I knew it would come to this eventually," Colleen responded, her eyes burning with fierce determination. "I always thought there was a chance Ethan would reform, that we'd be best friends like before, but after what he did to me, and what he's done to the entire world . . . I know there's no chance. Ethan lives off his desires." Colleen stared Jennifer in the eyes. "This is a war defending the world from evil. Ethan's not the Ethan I used to know. So I'm ready to fight with all I have against him!"

**A/N: Next chapter's all action! Stick around for it! Read and review please!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry for not updating for so long! I got busy :P So here's a nice long update! BTW: I've posted some pics of Colleen and May on deviantART, so those who want to see them should look under the account ****ButterflyMeadow****.**

**Disclaimer: I WANT Pokémon RANGER GUARDIAN SIGNS! Don't own Pokemon**

**The Champion Journeys  
Chapter 10**

Ten minutes later, the Champions were racing across the main hall of the Lilycove Mall, following Ash, Steven, Wallace, and Colleen to where they'd encountered Dante. The door to Dante's Café swung open, startling the innocent little Chingling.

"And what makes you think I'll let you pass?" Dante sneered, crossing his arms.

"We've got our ways!" Colleen commanded, "Pichu, use Iron Tail to get him out of the way!"

Dante cowered as Pichu's glowing tail just barely missed his face. Snarling, he called out, "Go, Drapion! Use Cross Poison!"

"Pichu, Signal Beam!"

Pichu's attack hit Drapion first, and the Ogre Scorp Pokémon's Cross Poison went off target. Ash then shouted, "Pikachu, Thunder!"

The massive electric shock hit Dante and Drapion, and the Champions used that time to head into the back room.

"This is where I fell," Colleen told them, motioning to the spiraling black void as Pichu clung to her. "At this point I blacked out, though, so I don't know where this leads."

"We have to go down there anyhow," Lance declared fearlessly. He jumped in right away, and disappeared.

"A bit rash, but he's right." Cynthia jumped in after Lance.

"Here we go . . . one, two, THREE!" The remaining Champions leapt into the vortex.

Air and blackness Colleen hadn't felt from her previous encounter whooshed around her. Colleen held on to Pichu tightly, feeling the wind trying to tug Pichu out of her arms. After about five minutes of constant swirling, the Champions' feet met solid ground.

"Well, I woke up in a room when I was here last." Colleen shuddered at the memory. "So I don't know the rest of the way here."

Wherever Colleen and the others were now definitely wasn't Ethan's room. In fact, they were in a long hallway that seemed to be made of elegant granite—with numerous gold doors scattered across both walls. The floor was polished marble with many types of jewels inlaid in groups according to their color, creating a swirly pattern. The strange thing was, everything seemed to be real!

"Wow . . . this would be some place to excavate," Steven said in awe.

"Okay, Steven, I know they're pretty rocks, but don't go rock-geek on us," Wallace laughed. "Anyway, let's pair up. Ash, Pikachu, you're coming with me. Lance, Cynthia, you guys split the doors on my right with Colleen, Pichu, and Steven. Meet back here ASAP."

"Got it." As Wallace, Ash, and Pikachu disappeared into one of the rooms on the left, Lance and Cynthia entered the first room on the right. Colleen braced herself for the unexpected as she, Pichu, and Steven went into the third door on the right.

But there was nothing in the room.

"_Chu?_" Pichu said in confusion.

Colleen blinked. "Okay, that's just weird."

"Maybe it's an empty storage room or something?" Steven looked around for any sort of clue, but seemed to have found nothing.

"Made of marble?"

"Well, look at how richly the hallway is decorated compared to this room. This is just a plain white marble room, while outside there's gold, gems, and polished granite."

"I don't even want to _know_ how Ethan got so much money . . ." Colleen shuddered at the possibilities. "Okay, next room then."

The trio went outside and entered the fourth room, only to encounter the same empty room, this time made of black marble. As they went outside, they received a shake of the head from Wallace, Ash, Lance, and Cynthia. They'd scoured six rooms so far with no dice.

To save time, Colleen decided to just open the doors to see if the rooms were empty or not. She and Steven quickly realized that all of the rooms in the row they, Lance, and Cynthia had been looking through had alternating black and white marble rooms. Both groups switched sides and helped Pikachu, Ash, and Wallace with the left side of the hall.

About five minutes later, the Champions met up, having found nothing but a dull metal statue of Arceus in the last room on the left side. They had searched every inch of that statue, as well, but found nothing except an inscription saying, "_Arceus is the key._"

"Now what?" Ash asked, looking around to see if anything had been missed.

"I'm still positive that Arceus statue has some purpose here . . ." Cynthia pondered for a bit, then snapped her fingers. "Aha! That inscription said 'Arceus is the key!' Maybe it means that _literally_!"

"Like the statue could unlock a door or something?" Wallace questioned.

"Exactly! I know it doesn't sound logical, but what else can 'Arceus is the key' mean?"

Lance hurried into the last room and lugged out the Arceus statue. "This thing's heavy!"

"It seems like it's made of lead," Steven observed. "That explains why it looks so tarnished, since it's been exposed to air for a long time."

As soon as the Dragon Tamer put down the statue, a tinkling noise emitted from the floor, and all the minute gems began to sparkle. To the Champions' surprise, the Arceus statue became shiny, almost like silver! The inscription upon the Arceus statue's plaque changed, too. Now it read _Find the Cherish Crystal, the shard of the rainbow._

"Cherish Crystal?" Colleen asked. "What's that?"

"There's a legend in Sinnoh that a Trainer was on a quest to capture the mighty Arceus," Cynthia explained. "In order to capture the godly Pokémon, the Trainer infused the power of a crystal, which came from a rainbow created by Ho-oh, into a regular Poké Ball. This Poké Ball transformed into a pure red Poké Ball with black grooves on its side. This became called the Cherish Ball.

"The Trainer then traveled to a secluded and sacred place in Sinnoh, called Sendoff Spring. Few people know about it, and it's called 'the fourth lake of Sinnoh that was kept secret.' Sendoff Spring is where, it is said, you have the most spiritual connection in Sinnoh and the deceased move on to the afterlife. This Trainer made it there, only to vanish without a trace. The only relic we have of this attempt was the Cherish Ball, which shattered into ten gems.

"As of now, we only know of five gem's whereabouts; four in the Oreburgh Mining Museum, and the largest gem that is embedded into the south wall of Sendoff Spring's canyon. The other five are unheard of, though I'm assuming that the Cherish Crystal we need to find is one of those missing ones."

"Do you have any idea what it looks like, Cynthia?" Ash asked, looking at the floor. "Look how tiny these crystals are; it might take us forever to find it!"

"It shines in the colors of the rainbow, and contains every color known to man."

"Wouldn't that make it . . . big?" Wallace said.

"Not necessarily. It's not like you can identify all the colors with the naked eye. But to our eyes, it should sparkle more and have all the main colors, at least."

Everyone got onto their knees and searched the floor. Colleen's eyes kept blobbing all the color groups together, making it harder to search. She shifted the statue and looked underneath it, but nothing was there.

After about ten minutes, Wallace called out, "Eureka, I struck the jackpot!" Everyone hurried over to him, and the Water-type Champion pointed out the crystal. The way its glittering displayed its colors was beautiful.

"Now what do we do?" Steven asked.

"Check the almighty statue again . . ." Wallace read aloud from the again-changed message: _Go to the room you found this statue in and place it there._

"Pretty straightforward. Ungh!" Wallace grunted as he picked up the statue. "Clearly not meant to be a muscleman."

The Champions walked to the last room and put the Arceus statue back where they'd found it. The statue glowed brightly, as did the whole room, and a golden doorway appeared in the northernmost wall.

"Well, here we go . . ." Ash's face was serious.

"Humanity's fate lies in our hands," Colleen realized. "It's all up to us."

"The sooner we stop Team Shadow, the sooner we get back to our normal life," Steven said with a smile. "So let's go, everyone!"

The Champions entered the room, and the door disappeared behind them.

The room the Champions had entered didn't even seem like a room. What looked like the sky was swirling purple and black, but the whole place was bathed in an eerie light. A shrine towered over the Champions, with engravings on it, mostly glyphs of Arceus.

"Missed me, Colleen?"

Colleen shuddered at that voice, and Steven stepped in front of her at that instant. Ethan smirked as he came into the Champions' view, alone. Pichu growled.

"You hurried back so fast, Colleen, I'm touched," Ethan sneered, his leer frightening Colleen. "Of course, I don't mind. And you brought friends!"

"Why are you alone, Ethan?" Colleen cut through his talk. "Where are your lackeys?"

"I have no need for them." Ethan's grin widened.

"Making it easy for us?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "Okay, then, Sceptile, Bullet Seed, and Pikachu, Thunder!"

Everyone began tossing out Poké Balls.

"Metagross, Psychic!"

"Dragonite, Draco Meteor!"

"Garchomp, Earth Power!"

"Milotic, Hydro Pump!"

"Blaziken, Blast Burn, and Pichu, Thunder!"

The attacks combined, and a huge explosion followed. Colleen thought there was no way Ethan could have survived, but she was wrong.

Ethan walked out of the explosion, completely unharmed and still grinning.

When Colleen opened her mouth, it stayed in an 'o' when she saw what—or rather,_ who_—was behind Ethan. The Pokémon and their Trainers were transfixed.

"No way . . ." Ash gasped.

"It can't be!" Colleen exclaimed.

Ethan grinned. "Champions, do you see why I don't need any bodyguards? Because I have the most powerful being that we know on our universe _on my side_—allow me to introduce you to the almighty lord _Arceus_!"

**A/N: OMG it's Arceus! How did Ethan manage to get Arceus? Find out in the next chapter! Reviewing is the key! :D**


	11. Chapter 11

********************************************************************************A/N: Since I couldn't leave you guys hanging, here's chapter 11! Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Je ne propres Pokémon. (I don't own Pokémon in French :P)**

**The Champion Journeys**

**Chapter 11**

Colleen involuntarily stepped back. What was the god of Pokémon doing here—in Ethan's defense?

"Arceus?" Ash said in awe.

"What . . . how . . . ?" Steven trailed off.

"When did you get Arceus?" Wallace was the only one to shake off his surprise long enough to ask a decent question.

Ethan laughed. "Baffled, Champions? Allow me to explain." The Team Shadow leader walked to the tall shrine and motioned the Alpha Pokémon towards it. Arceus roared, and the shrine began to glow. The markings in the shrine that weren't Arceus glowed the brightest, and materialized in front of them!

"No . . ." Lance's eyes were huge. "The Rainbow Wing . . . the Silver Wing . . . those are emblems of Ho-oh and Lugia!"

"And that's the Braille Tablet, the mark of Regigigas!" Cynthia gasped.

"And that . . ." Colleen's eyes widened when she realized what she was seeing. "That's the Jade Orb—the symbol of Rayquaza!"

"We completely fooled you, Champions," Ethan sneered, crossing his arms. "We baited you into thinking we needed to collect all of the Legendary Trios in order to capture Arceus, but in truth, all we needed were the _artifacts_. These artifacts give me the power to control Arceus."

The Champions completely froze. This was not good.

"You shut down our bases, but you didn't shut down our operation."

"Then you're trying to tell us—"

"Everything you did was an _utter waste of time_," Ethan smirked. "You could have saved many lives if you'd found out earlier. Including your own.

"Now, let us get to work. Arceus, if you please!"

Arceus reared and stomped the ground, and glowing cords snaked upwards and began to bind the Champions' wrists, waists, and ankles as it lifted them into the air. All of the Champions called out attacks for their Pokémon, but their Pokémon didn't respond and returned to their Poké Balls! Pichu and Pikachu seemed to be in a trance. The Trainers' other Poké Balls whipped out of wherever they were and floated high above them.

Colleen struggled against her bonds as Ethan approached her, fear rooted at the bottom of her stomach. "Stay away from her!" Steven shouted, but Ethan grabbed Colleen's chin and grinned. "Why do you look so frightened? I'll spare you no matter what! Just bear the pain for a while, will you, darling? I can't have you running around and causing trouble, can I?

"Now, let me ask you . . . would you like to share being the head of Team Shadow with me?" Ethan leaned closer to Colleen. "I'd give you anything you'd want, and we'd rule the world together. Everything would be under our control!"

"No, I would not!" Colleen insisted, tired of being asked the same thing. "Ethan, when will you accept that I'm not one bit interested in you? Can't we just be friends?"

"Friends . . . is not enough, Colleen. I love you, and when will you accept that?" Colleen's voice was muffled as Ethan's lips crashed onto hers, only breaking when Ethan needed air. Colleen breathed a sigh of momentary relief, but her breath caught in her throat when Ethan approached with Arceus at his heels. "It pains me to hurt you, but I fear it is the only way you'll agree."

"It's not going to work, Ethan." But Ethan wasn't looking at her—he was looking at Steven!

"Even if I hurt your precious boyfriend?"

"No, don't hurt him!" Colleen cried immediately.

"Then will you join me?" Ethan smirked.

Colleen bit her lip as Steven shook his head defiantly, telling Colleen with his eyes to refuse and that he didn't care what would happen to him. But Colleen knew she couldn't do it.

"Need a little . . . prompting? Arceus, a Shock Wave, if you please."

The cross-like wheel around Arceus' middle turned yellow, along with its hooves, chest, and crest, as the Alpha Pokémon opened its mouth and let out an electric shock that could rival Pichu's Thunder. Steven winced, his eyes squeezed shut and his jaw clenched, but not a sound escaped his throat. Colleen's eyes widened.

"Colleen, an answer?"

"Don't worry about me, Colleen, just don't do it."

"Arceus, X-Scissor."

The part of Arceus' body that were yellow before turned olive green, an X appearing before it as it forced the X onto Steven. A sharp intake of breath came from him, but he remained firm.

"Colleen, don't make this difficult," Ethan said calmly. "Do we need to risk his life?"

"Don't do it," Steven repeated, steadfast.

"Let's turn up the heat. Flamethrower, Arceus."

The previously olive green parts of Arceus' body turned red as it shot a Flamethrower like a Blast Burn at Steven. A scream ripped from Colleen's throat. "STEVEN!"

Steven coughed, opening one of his eyes to look at Colleen. "Don't . . . do it . . ." he insisted. "You just might be . . . our only hope . . ."

_Our only hope? _"What do you—"

"Colleen, I am losing my patience," Ethan said shortly. "A shake or a nod would suffice!"

Colleen looked at everyone, not knowing what to do. Either way something bad would happen. What was she supposed to do?

"Colleen, your time is up. I am afraid your boyfriend's time is up, as well. Arceus, _Judgement!_"

"No!" Cynthia shouted. "That's Arceus' signature move!"

Arceus' body shined with a rainbow as it shot a multicolored sphere into the air, which exploded into several pieces, some blazing with fire, others sparking with electricity. Colleen tugged relentlessly at her bonds, ignoring the stinging and scratching of her body, screaming Steven's name over and over.

What Colleen did had the potential to become a legend. No one knew how she'd done it, not even herself, but it happened; her sheer will had broken something created by the highest power. And it may have saved the entire world.

Colleen broke the bonds that were holding her back and sprinted towards Steven.

"_**COLLEEN!**_"

That was the only thing Colleen could hear, pain exploding into and blocking all of her senses. She fell to the floor, every single particle of her body searing as if ablaze. The only thing keeping her from screaming in pain was the fact that Steven was okay. She kept repeating to herself that he was okay.

Steven's eyes were huge. "Colleen . . . !" His attempts to break free and help Colleen were too feeble, because of his weakened state.

Even the great Arceus itself seemed to be slightly astonished. Somehow, Colleen had broken the bonds _Arceus_ had created! She'd defied a god's power!

"Your soul is immeasurably strong," Ethan said, surprise present in his voice. "To defy Arceus' power like that . . . takes a great spirit. But that was a foolish move. You have only weakened yourself further and halted his fate. Now, I will ask you again: _will you join me?_"

Colleen coughed, the pain in her body getting worse by the second. "Not . . . as long . . . as I breathe!"

Ethan sighed. "Arceus, Hyper Beam."

Arceus opened its mouth, its color turning back to Normal-type, forming a white beam. Steven was yelling, "_Move, Colleen, move!_" but Colleen stayed put. _I love you, Steven . . . I truly, sincerely love you . . ._

And Colleen braced herself for the impact.

Silence.

Colleen opened her eyes when she didn't feel anything but a slight and sudden wind, and her mouth dropped. She suddenly realized why Steven had said that she might be the Champions' only hope.

It was Rayquaza.

**A/N: Sorry, another cliffie! But I'll try updating soon! R&R! BTW: there's only four chapters of TCJ left!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Here's chapter 12 everybody! Three chapters left! Don't expect a fast update this week, though, since I have some projects/tests to worry about. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Do the GBA games have higher stat gains or is it just me? My Dragonite in LeafGreen and my Rayquaza in Emerald gained 6 Attack 0.o Anyway, don't own anything.**

**The Champion Journeys**

**Chapter 12**

"R-Rayquaza?" Colleen gasped, her eyes huge.

The other Champions were in awe, especially Lance and Cynthia, who did not know the link between Rayquaza and Colleen. Steven looked slightly relieved, but he was still tense.

Ethan had a similar reaction. "What is Rayquaza doing here, let alone in your defense?"

Rayquaza's green serpent-like tail whipped the air, a blow that could to massive damage to an opponent. _I, the Ruler of the Skies, was captured by this noble Pokémon Trainer many years ago. I come to her aid when she cannot do something by herself._

"Well, well, well . . ." Ethan smirked. "Someone has a trick up their sleeve, too! If that's how you want to play, then suit yourself! But do you honestly think Rayquaza can stop the almighty Arceus?"

_Foolish Trainer. You took a major risk by taking control of our lord._

"What can stop me from putting _you_ under my control?" Ethan shot, looking extremely pleased with himself. "I have the Jade Orb in my possession!"

_The Jade Orb is linked with me, but it does not mean it can control me, like Groudon and Kyogre, who are controlled by the Red and Blue Orbs. It is simply an artifact, just like the Sky Ball in which I am captured. _

"It doesn't matter! We'll still take you down! Arceus, go!"

Rayquaza turned to Colleen as Arceus reared. _Command me in battle once again, noble Trainer. I would ask you if you wished to take the risk of controlling me, but I am afraid you must, or we shall be in trouble._

"I don't m-mind, Rayquaza, b-but . . . c-can we really d-defeat the god of Pokémon?"

_We may not need to do such a thing. Simply wait a little longer. _Rayquaza turned back to Arceus, a determined look on its face. _We will bring our lord back into its consciousness, and I am certain of that._

Still a little uncertain herself, Colleen nodded and stood, with all of her strength.

"Arceus, Blizzard!"

"Rayquaza, ExtremeSpeed!"

As Arceus opened its mouth and emitted a Sheer-Cold-worthy blast of ice, Rayquaza sped through it faster than a jet plane and struck Arceus in the chest.

"Use Blizzard again, and surround Rayquaza with it!"

"Rayquaza, use F-Fire Blast to melt the ice!"

Both attacks collided, ending with a slight shower. Arceus had slid back a few feet, as did Rayquaza. Only Rayquaza looked damaged.

Ethan grinned. "Arceus, Roar of Time!"

_What? That's Dialga's signature move!_ "Rayquaza, Protect!"

Arceus roared, a multicolored blast exploding from its mouth and heading towards the protected Rayquaza. But Rayquaza wasn't as protected as they thought—Arceus' Roar of Time was so powerful that it broke the shield!

"Rayquaza!" Colleen cried, breaking into a small coughing fit and grimacing at the taste of blood in her mouth.

Rayquaza had dropped a few inches in its floating, but still seemed able to fight. _Do not worry,_ Rayquaza said, shaking off the fatigue. _They will all be here soon . . ._

"They? Who's—"

_You will see._

The finalizing tone in Rayquaza's voice told Colleen to call for an attack. "Okay, then, R-Rayquaza, Iron Tail!"

"Stop it with Flamethrower!"

Rayquaza snarled as its tail became singed by the Flamethrower. Arceus took advantage of the moment and fired a powerful Draco Meteor at Rayquaza. Unable to dodge, Rayquaza took the full attack. It was blasted back and hit the wall.

"Rayquaza!" Colleen had never seen the Sky High Pokémon so weak! She tried to run to it, but tripped and fell to her knees, clutching her throbbing stomach.

Ethan laughed. "Trainer and Pokémon weakened. Time to finish this. Arceus, you know what to do!"

Arceus' body began to shine like a rainbow, and a multicolored sphere began to form in its mouth. If Arceus used Judgment, it would be the end of Rayquaza!

A brilliant explosion of light blinded everyone in the room. Colleen thought it was Judgment making impact with Rayquaza, but she was wrong. She couldn't believe her eyes.

Four Legendary Pokémon had joined the room: a phoenix with red, green, and white feathers, a sea guardian with a white body and blue ridges, a massive moving statue with Braille on its front, and finally, a small pink cat with a long tail.

"Ho-oh!" Ash gasped.

"Lugia!" Lance cried.

"Regigigas!" Cynthia breathed.

"And Mew . . . ?" Wallace trailed off in wonder.

Rayquaza seemed relieved. _They have arrived._

On the contrary, Ethan looked worried at seeing so many strong Pokémon against him. "Where on Earth . . . ?"

Rayquaza rose from its position, as if healed by the arrival of the four other Legendary Pokémon. All five turned towards a surprised Colleen and bowed their heads. In unison, they said, _We are ready to follow your commands, honorable Trainer. We will follow you into battle._

Ethan seemed to have shook off his surprise. "Numbers don't matter! My plan will not fall to some Legendary Pokémon! Go, Arceus, Judgment!"

Colleen took a deep breath. This was going to be the last call for attacks, the moves that would decide whether the planet would fall under Ethan's control. Finally, she shouted, "_Ho-oh, Sacred Fire! Lugia, Aeroblast! Regigigas, Crush Grip! Mew, Psycho Boost! And Rayquaza, Draco Meteor!_"

All five attacks combined and struck Arceus with such force that it blew everyone in the room back. A huge dust cloud emitted from them, blocking their sight, but Arceus' roaring could be heard.

Finally, the dust cleared up, and Arceus was looking around, as if it didn't know where it was. The five other Legendary Pokémon looked relieved. _Our master . . . has revived._

**How did I get here?** Arceus' booming voice rang out.

Mew spoke for the Legendaries. _My Lord, you were put under this man's control._ Everyone's eyes fell on Ethan, who had fallen unconscious. _But this girl here—_ Mew indicated Colleen. _She commanded us in battle and helped to bring you back. She and her friends here saved the world._

Arceus' rainbow eyes turned to Colleen, who had fallen to her knees. **I am sorry for the injuries this escapade has caused you,** it said in a surprisingly gentle voice. Its eyes turned to the other Champions. **And the damage to all of you as well. But I would like to sincerely thank you for saving our world.**

"Lord Arceus, it was nothing," Ash said with a small smile. "But could you please . . . uh . . . release us?"

**But of course.** With a small roar, the cords binding the Champions disintegrated. Steven was at Colleen's side in a flash, not caring about his own injuries, holding her close. Colleen's pain seemed to ebb away with Steven there. She leaned her head against his chest.

**This man shall not be punished,** Arceus said mercifully, motioning to Ethan. **All evil in his mind shall be vanquished, and he will begin his new life in a place where he is unheard of. Is that all right with all of you?**

"Yes."

_Of course, my Lord._

Arceus closed its eyes, and Ethan began to float in the air, surrounded by a golden aura. Arceus muttered some kind of incantation, and Ethan disappeared. _Good bye, Ethan,_ Colleen thought, smiling at the thought of him becoming a good person.

**Now . . . we must go, Champions.** Arceus seemed to be giving the Champions a smile. **I hope you will continue to do what you have been doing.**

"You can count on it!" Wallace laughed.

Rayquaza turned to Colleen, with what seemed to be a smile on its face. _I am afraid this is true good-bye, Colleen. I will probably never see you again._

"That's all right, R-Rayquaza." Colleen smiled gratefully. "Thank you for saving me so many times b-before."

_For an honorable Trainer like you, one should risk his or her life. I hope the strain on you will not be too terrible._

"I'll manage."

**I assure you, Colleen—you will be rewarded for your righteous efforts, and very soon.** Was Arceus looking at Steven, or was Colleen just imagining it?

The six Legendary Pokémon became surrounded by a golden light, all inclining their heads in a way of good-bye. The Champions waved until they were gone.

"Well, a mission complete," Lance remarked. "We just saved the world—and met Arceus."

There was a pause, and then pain began to wrack Colleen's body. She whimpered, clutching Steven, as pain clouded her senses again. She could feel her consciousness leaving.

Suddenly, Colleen felt Steven's lips on hers, warm and soft as always. "I'm so proud of you, Colleen," he whispered against her lips. "Always know that I love you more than anything you or I've ever known."

Colleen slipped into unconsciousness, but with a small smile on her face.

**A/N: A little fluff at the end, couldn't resist XD R&R!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Thank goodness I had nothing to study for today :D Enjoy! BTW: something **_**VERY**_** important will happen in this fluffy chapter—see if you can guess! ;)**

**Disclaimer: I might be getting Guardian Signs this week! Don't own Pokémon.**

**The Champion Journeys**

**Chapter 13**

After what felt like a million years, Colleen regained her consciousness. She felt extremely comfortable with a soft pillow under her head and a soft blanket over her. It did feel strange to have bandages over nearly every part of her body, though. She tried to open her eyes, but it was like she was in a dream, desperately trying to wake up from it. After much effort, she finally opened her eyes.

Colleen had woken up in a Pokémon Center. She recognized the metal bar-frame beds with white sheets dotted with Poké Balls and her nightgown speckled with smiling Cleffa against an indigo sky. She turned her head weakly to her left, where her bag was on a nightstand.

When Colleen's head turned to her left, she saw someone's hand over hers, stroking her fingers. A few moments later she felt the hand on the left side of her head and warm lips upon hers, kissing her gently. When he drew away, Colleen smiled at Steven softly, holding the hand on the side of her face with hers.

"Thank goodness you're awake," Steven said, smiling in relief. "I was starting to get worried."

"H-how long was I out?" Colleen asked in a raspy tone. After trying to clear her throat, Steven brought her a glass of water. She drank it thirstily, but it only brought her voice a little bit above a whisper.

"A week at least," Steven informed her. "We were worried. They actually needed to give you some blood transfusions because you'd lost so much."

"They d-did?" Colleen said in surprise.

"Trust me when I say it was _a lot_."

"Who d-donated the b-blood?"

Steven smiled. "I happened to have the same blood type as you, so . . ."

Colleen smiled back. "I l-love you, Steven."

Steven kissed her forehead. "I do, too, Colleen."

"Wow, Steven, she just regained consciousness and you're already romancing with her?" an all-too-familiar voice teased from the doorway. Colleen and Steven didn't even have to look around to know it was Wallace. The Water-type Champion walked to the bed and briefly clasped Colleen's hand. "Good to know you're doing better, Colleen. I'll go get the others, we've been worried sick! Be back in ten!"

Wallace exited the room, leaving Colleen and Steven alone again. "Nothing's hurting, is it, Colleen?"

"N-no. It's just . . . n-numb, I guess. W-wait, what about you, St-Steven? From when Arceus attacked y-you . . ."

"Eh, just a few very minor burns. I had the strength to carry you back here, so I think I'm fine. I wouldn't have been, if it weren't for you shielding the attack from me. That Judgment attack did more damage to you than the other attacks on me." Steven smiled sadly. "I wish I could stop having you get hurt instead of me."

"I think the s-same way," Colleen smiled. "That's why I k-keep risking myself for you. B-because I can't bear _you_ g-getting hurt, and because I love y-you."

"I wonder how many times that promise I made to you eight years ago has been broken," Steven commented with a slight chuckle. "The promise to keep you from getting hurt. Somehow you always end up hurt."

"B-but I don't c-care, Steven," Colleen smiled again. "It was f-for a good cause. We s-saved the world f-from Ethan. Like they s-say, write injuries in sand and k-kindness in marble. Injuries will eventually w-wash away with the t-tide."

"Not _us_." Steven kissed Colleen. "It was all _you_, Colleen. We didn't do anything. I'm proud of you, and I love you."

"Are we interrupting something?" Colleen and Steven blushed as the whole group of Trainers entered the room and took seats around Colleen's bed. The girls all greeted Colleen with hugs, while the boys gave her a pat on the shoulder. Colleen felt someone was missing.

"H-hey, where's Pichu?"

"It'll be along in a few seconds," May said with a smile. There was the sound of tiny feet, and Dawn laughed, "Here it comes now!"

Colleen laughed as Pichu bounded onto the bed in one leap, nuzzling its Trainer's face. "Pichu!"

"_Pi chu! Chu!_" Pichu squealed. It straightened itself out and handed Colleen a bouquet of wildflowers. Colleen smiled and hugged Pichu best she could. "Why thank y-you, Pichu!"

"_Chuu!_" Pichu cried happily, looking pleased with itself.

"So, Colleen, looks like you saved the world!" Winona remarked. "And you were able to face your childhood friend, too. You've got more courage than you seem to have."

"Well, we don't need to worry about an evil possessed Arceus until the next maniac comes around!" Brock joked, and everyone laughed.

"I wish I could've gone!" Barry exclaimed. "I'd like to see a bunch of Legendary Pokémon and have epic battles Pokémon Masters have!"

Dawn pretended to pout. "You'd rather have done that than spend quality time with _moi_?"

Barry sweatdropped. "You know I love you, Dawn, I didn't mean that!"

Dawn laughed and winked, kissing the blonde boy. "Just kidding, Barry!"

After a small pause, a voice rang out. "Sorry I'm late!" A short gray-haired man in a purple suit hurried in. His face brightened immediately at the sight of Steven and Colleen. "Ah, wonderful to see you again, my dears!"

"Hello, Mr. S-Stone!" Colleen said with a smile. Pichu waved, and Mr. Stone patted its head.

"I just had to take some time off to see if you were okay!" Mr. Stone laughed. "Kennedy's taking care of everything."

Steven sighed, but he was smiling a little. "Poor Kennedy. He's always making sure everything goes well for you, Dad."

"He _is_ my secretary. He's supposed to do anything I want!" Mr. Stone turned to Colleen again. "And how are you feeling, dear? Is there anything you want?"

"No, no, I'm j-just fine, sir."

Steven's father patted her head. "You are a sweet girl, Colleen. I'm glad Steven chose you."

Was Mr. Stone looking at Steven meaningfully or was it just Colleen?

"Colleen, I think this might be the right time for me to ask you something." Steven suddenly looked nervous. "So, I've been thinking . . . I know we haven't been together for very long, but I think that . . . I'm never going to stop loving you."

Colleen blushed. What was prompting Steven to say that in front of everyone?

Steven was a little red, too, but he went on. "I—I really think you're my true love. I'll understand if you think this is too early or something, and I respect your decision, but . . ."

Colleen gasped as Steven took out a red velvet box with a gold and diamonds ring inside it. With a shy smile and loving eyes, he asked the question.

"Colleen, will you marry me?"

Everyone in the room tensed. It was like time had stopped.

Colleen was extremely surprised as well. She began to have a slideshow of everything she'd done with Steven: traveling with him in Hoenn, battling against him in the Hoenn League, saving him that day at Giovanni's hideout, being held by him the evening he confessed his love for her . . . and she realized that she, too, would never stop loving Steven. There was only one answer.

"I will, Steven." Colleen smiled back shyly. "I will marry you."

The whole room erupted into cheers as Steven took the ring out of the box, slipped it onto Colleen's ring finger, and kissed her.

Colleen could barely sleep in the Pokémon Center that night. She was much too excited! Steven was actually her _fiancé!_ It was like living in a dream.

Steven, Colleen, and Mr. Stone had decided for the wedding to be the following week, when Colleen would be healed and able to go shopping for her dress. They were inviting everyone they knew, making it a massive event, maybe even bigger than Wallace and Winona's wedding!

"I'd heard girls daydream a lot after being proposed to, and now I've seen it." Steven kissed her cheek.

"Well . . . for me, it's like a dream come true. I can't believe it!"

"Neither can I. It feels like only yesterday that I met you in Altering Cave."

"Yeah . . ."

A brief silence stretched between the to-be couple, and then Steven said, "I think we should get to sleep. Especially you, so you can heal faster."

"Okay." Colleen kissed Steven and closed her eyes, wedding fantasies already playing out behind her eyelids. "Good night, and I love you."

"Good night, and I love you, too."

Steven and Colleen drifted off into a peaceful sleep, both dreaming about their coming wedding.

**A/N: And there it is! Steven proposed! X3 I loved typing that scene. So the next chapter's shopping and the wedding, everyone! R&R! 2 chapters left!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Second to last chapter, everyone, and it's a long one! I will most likely have the last chapter up over the weekend. Stay tuned and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Ooh, cool, a new Mew download for HG/SS! Don't own Pokémon.**

**The Champion Journeys**

**Chapter 14**

The week before Steven and Colleen's wedding flew by before their eyes, and pretty soon, it was a day before the wedding, and Colleen, May, Dawn, and Misty were getting ready to go shopping for a dress.

Colleen blushed a little as Steven raised her arms and took off her nightgown. Even though they were engaged and they had made love already, she still was a little embarrassed that Steven was seeing her in just undergarments.

"Is anything hurting when I lift your arms?"

Colleen shook her head.

"The only thing that's keeping me from attacking you right now is the fact that you're fragile," Steven muttered, tracing kisses along Colleen's neck.

"Then put my shirt on before you make me ask for it," Colleen told him, trying not to moan.

"Okay, okay." Steven drew away and carefully pulled a pink frilly top over Colleen's body. He then helped her legs into the shorts, then smirked mischievously when they were all the way up. "Maybe you should pull up the zipper or my hands might . . . _wander_."

Colleen hit Steven's shoulder playfully but did what he asked. "Mind out of the gutter, _dear._"

Steven laughed. "Okay." He put his arms around her. "Be careful, okay, Colleen? I don't want you to get hurt further or anything—"

"Steven, I'll be fine!" Colleen said reassuringly, leaning against Steven's chest. "I'll be with Misty, Dawn, and May."

"Still, you could fall—"

Colleen pushed her lips against Steven's, melting into the kiss. "Let's not think about the negative, shall we? Stay optimistic."

"Fine, fine." Steven held his fiancée for a little, then let go. "You should get going. Is Pichu going with you?"

"Yeah. Pichu's waiting outside with May."

"Have you got your bag?"

"Right here!" Colleen eased herself off the bed, stumbling a bit but catching herself. "I'll be off, then." She kissed Steven and said, "See you later!"

"See you!"

Colleen skipped out of the room and met May, Dawn, and Misty, ready to go. Pichu jumped onto her shoulder, and the girls walked outside.

"I was looking around a couple of weeks ago with May and saw this awesome bridal shop!" Dawn exclaimed. "I knew it would come in handy one day."

"Where is it?" Misty asked.

"It's on the second floor of the Lilycove Mall, right on the left."

The girls pushed open the door to the mall and headed immediately for the escalator. Dawn and May lead them to Beatrice's Bridal Boutique.

"_Bonjour!_" A woman with black hair and hazel eyes greeted the four. "My name is Beatrice! And vat are ve looking for today, girls?"

May put an arm around Colleen. "This lucky girl needs a wedding dress!"

Beatrice studied Colleen, and her face brightened. "Ah! I recognize you,_ mon amie!_ You are a Pokémon Master! And . . . are you getting married to ze great Steven Stone? I offer you my sincere congratulations!"

"Thank you very much," Colleen said sheepishly.

"I will give you ze best wedding dress you could ever dream about! Follow _moi_!" The girls followed Beatrice, passing racks of several huge dresses. Beatrice motioned towards the pink and white section. "In this section, we have several lovely dresses zat come with a free matching purse!"

"_Merci,_" the four girls said with a smile.

"Call me if you need any help! _Au revoir!_" With a tiny wave, Beatrice left the girls by themselves.

"I totally want you to get a dress with some pink in it." May was already looking through the pink dresses. Pichu nodded and leaned over, starting to look through the dresses, too.

"You'll look like a princess!" Dawn sighed dreamily. "I can't wait until my wedding . . . I'd have a lovely flowing light blue dress with pearls in my hair . . . a bouquet of pure white roses tinged with the slightest of pink . . ."

"Right now, it's Colleen's wedding we're talking about, Dawn," Misty reminded the fantasizing blunette with a smile. "We all know you and Barry will end up as a married couple, but let's focus on Colleen for now."

Colleen, May, and Misty laughed as Dawn turned bright red and turned back to the racks.

It took only five minutes for Colleen to find the perfect wedding dress. She held it up in delight to the other girls, who loved it as much as she did. Pichu gave an approving "_Chu!_" Colleen was relieved; the hardest part was over.

All she needed to overcome now was the actual wedding.

_The Next Day . . ._

It was 5 p.m. The light of the afternoon would soon be waning into the glow of the sunset. And one girl had so many butterflies in her stomach that she could have sworn that cocoons were breaking every second.

Colleen stood in front of the full-length mirror, unable to believe that it was her in the reflection. The dress she'd chosen was sleeveless and a pure white with a swirly design of light pink beads on the bodice. A thin pink ribbon was around her waist, with light pink roses on it. Two short layers were on the sides of the skirt, which had long layers underneath, all flowing together elegantly. The girls had secured the white veil in her hair with a pink rose headband, the rest of her hair flowing gracefully without anything else in it. She was holding a bouquet of pink and white roses, with pearls in the center.

"Colleen, are you ready?" Winona's voice called from the door. "You're due to come out in a few minutes!"

"Oh, I'm ready! I'll be there in a bit!"

The butterflies in Colleen's stomach had just quintupled. She took a deep breath and walked out of the door.

Winona greeted her, face shining with pride. "Oh, Colleen, you look beautiful!"

"Thank you," Colleen said with a nervous smile.

Winona put a hand on Colleen's shoulder. "I'm not going to tell you not to be nervous, because I know it's hard not to be. But trust me, it isn't that nerve-wracking. You just sit there until you're asked to say 'I do.'"

"I know. But I'm nervous anyway."

"Well, I can't blame you. I mean, getting married is a huge thing!"

"And here we have the bride!" Wallace's voice came from outside, and with a jolt, Colleen realized she would be going out in a few seconds. "Ladies and gentlemen, Colleen Rose!"

Winona winked at Colleen. "Next time I talk to you, you'll be Mrs. Colleen Stone! Go get 'em, girl!"

Colleen smiled at Winona gratefully and walked through the open door. This was it.

Colleen reminded herself to put one foot in front of the other as she made a beeline towards her empty chair. From the corners of her eyes she could see all three-hundred-and-thirty-seven people's eyes on her. She clutched her bouquet tightly, wanting to fix her veil, do something, but she didn't want to mess herself up.

Then Colleen's eyes met Steven's, who was looking more handsome than she'd ever seen before in his special white suit. He gave her a gentle smile, the warmth radiating from it keeping her going. Finally, she reached her chair and sat down, relieved. One part down.

"We are all gathered here today to commemorate the union of two souls," Wallace began, taking his place in front of Colleen and Steven. "They have cared for each other through sickness, been there for one another, and most of all, loved each other more than their hearts could desire. Thus, they have decided to take the next step in their relationship: the lifelong commitment of matrimony."

Wallace looked at Steven, the hint of a smile on his face. "Do you, Steven Stone, take Colleen Rose as your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," Steven said without hesitation. Colleen's breath caught in her throat as Wallace's eyes turned on her.

"And do you, Colleen Rose, take Steven Stone as your lawfully wedded husband?"

Colleen took a deep breath before she messed up her chance. _C'mon, Colleen, two words. Two simple words. Say them!_

"I do."

"The ring, please!"

May and Ash held the pillow with the ring and brought it up to Colleen and Steven. Steven took Colleen's hand and got the ring. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. This was all they needed to do. Steven slipped the ring onto Colleen's finger.

Wallace's face broke into a huge grin. "You may now kiss the bride."

Looking deeply into each others' eyes, Steven and Colleen moved forward, and their lips met, sealing their marriage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you . . . Mr. and Mrs. Steven and Colleen Stone!"

A raucous applause, much louder than anything Colleen had ever heard, erupted. People were clapping, screaming, cheering, or just plain losing it. Mr. Stone seemed to be crying in happiness.

Colleen and Steven's eyes met. Colleen was in a dream now—Steven was her husband!

"Before we congratulate our lucky couple, let's let them share a dance in honor of their union!" Wallace turned to Steven and winked. "You're up, buddy."

Steven nodded his thanks, and helped a confused Colleen off her chair. He led them to the dance floor, and a song began to play.

Something felt extremely nostalgic about this to Colleen. But what?

_Today was a fairytale . . ._

Colleen looked up at Steven as soon as she recognized the song. He smiled knowingly.

_Today was a fairytale_

_You were the prince_

_I used to be a damsel in distress_

_You took me by the hand and you picked me up at six_

_Today was a fairytale . . . _

"This is the song we first danced to!" Colleen whispered.

"I wanted to dance to it again with you," Steven whispered back, pressing his lips to her forehead. "It was the dance that made me realize that I was in love with you. I guess you could say this song . . . was the beginning of us."

_Today was a fairytale_

_Today was a fairytale_

_I wore a dress_

_And you wore a dark grey T-shirt_

_You told me I was pretty when I looked like a mess_

_Today was a fairytale  
Time slows down whenever you're around_

_Can you feel this magic in the air?_

_It must've been the way you kissed me_

_Fell in love when I saw you standing there_

_It must've been the way_

_Today was a fairytale_

_It must've been the way_

_Today was a fairytale_

"I'll always remember that night," Colleen recalled fondly. "I tried so hard to impress you."

_Today was a fairytale_

_You've got a smile_

_That takes me to another planet_

_Every move you make everything you say is right_

_Today was a fairytale_

_All that I can say_

_Is it's getting so much clearer_

_Nothing made sense till time I saw your face_

_Today was a fairytale_

"You didn't need to," Steven replied. "I loved you just the way you were."

_Time slows down whenever you're around_

_Yeah yeah_

_Can you feel this magic in the air?_

_It must've been the way you kissed me_

_Fell in love when I saw you standing there_

_It must've been the way_

_Today was a fairytale_

_It must've been the way_

_Today was a fairytale_

_Time slows down whenever you're around_

_I can feel my heart_

_It's beating in my chest_

_Can you feel it?_

_I just can't put this down_

_Can you feel this magic in the air?_

_It must've been the way you kissed me_

_Fell in love when I saw you standing there_

_It must've been the way_

_Today was a fairytale_

_It must've been the way_

_Today was a fairytale!_

As the song ended, the crowd broke into a raucous applause once more. Wallace shouted into the microphone, "Steven and Colleen Stone with a lovely waltz to _Today was a Fairytale_ by Taylor Swift!"

Steven and Colleen went back to their seats. Colleen heard a loud, "_CHUUUUU!_" and Pichu darted into her arms. "Oh, Pichu," she giggled, hugging her beloved Pokémon tightly.

One by one, people began to congratulate them. Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, even some people Colleen didn't know! Eventually, Mr. Stone came to them, pride evident on his face.

"My son . . . I have faced countless problems and never broken down," he said, clasping his son's hands. "But today, to see you happily married . . . I cried. Your mother would have been proud, Steven. Congratulations."

Steven smiled sadly. "Thank you, Dad."

"And you, Colleen . . ." Mr. Stone smiled. "Needless to say, your parents would be proud to see their daughter married to such a nice young man. You know what? I think your parents and Steven's mother are watching this wedding with so much pride that they could explode."

Colleen laughed. "I hope they're watching."

Mr. Stone was silent for a little while, then spoke up. "I have a wish . . . more of a _request_ for the both of you."

"Yes, Mr. Stone?"

"Anything, Dad."

"Firstly, Colleen, since I am your father-in-law, you can call me Father or Dad or anything you want. But back to my main point . . ." Mr. Stone suddenly had a mischievous grin. "Before your old man goes, he'd like to see . . . oh, I don't know . . . a _grandchild_ or two. Get my drift?"

From the flustered looks on Steven and Colleen's faces, they obviously knew what he was talking about.

"I leave the rest of my wish in your hands." With a wink, Mr. Stone vanished into the crowd, leaving Steven and Colleen beet red and Pichu giggling.

_That night . . ._

Colleen collapsed onto the bed, glad to be in her nightclothes again. She looked at the mini bed in the corner; Pichu was fast asleep.

"I'm beat," Steven remarked, laying down onto the bed next to Colleen.

"Same here." Colleen nestled into the crook of Steven's arm.

"But I can't believe it. We're married."

Colleen smiled. "My dream come true."

Steven kissed her cheek. "Mine too. Hey, I've been thinking . . . where do you want to live?"

"I hadn't thought of that."

"I was thinking my house over in Mossdeep, but I don't know if you'd like it . . ."

"That would be great, Steven! I'd like that!"

"Really?" Steven looked relieved. "We can move in a couple of weeks. Everyone else is leaving in that time, too; Ash and May are going to visit Mrs. Ketchum in Pallet Town, Barry and Dawn are going to Sinnoh, Brock and Misty are going back to Kanto, and Wallace and Winona are leaving for Fortree."

"That's perfect! We can spend some more time with them."

A silence stretched between the two, then broken by Steven's slightly embarrassed voice. "Um . . . I'm sorry if this is a little awkward, but when are we going to fulfill Dad's . . . uh . . . _wish_?"

Colleen blushed, starting to get bad mental images. "I think we'll . . . find out when the time comes."

"Yeah . . . that's what I was thinking, too," Steven replied with a sheepish chuckle.

Another silence.

"I'm getting some sleep now, it's been a long day for both of us." Steven kissed both of Colleen's eyelids closed, then her lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

The newlywed couple drifted into a peaceful slumber. For Steven and Colleen, a happy marriage was in their destiny.

********************************************************************************  
A/N: Sorry about **_**Today was a Fairytale **_**again, I wanted to put it in here :P Sigh . . . last chapter, aka the epilogue, is coming soon! R&R!**


	15. Epilogue: Five Years Later

**A/N: And here it is—the last chapter! I would appreciate it if you guys could read my author's note at the end, it's a little important. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: YAY I GOT GUARDIAN SIGNS AND I LOVE IT! I love how Pichu's your partner Pokémon too XD Don't own Pokémon.**

**The Champion Journeys**

**Epilogue: Five Years Later**

"Mommy! Mommy, wake up!"

Colleen laughed as the two girls jumped onto her knees. "I'm up, girls, I'm up!" She sat up in her bed and tossed back her long pink braid, putting the twins into her lap. "Pichu's sleeping, so whisper, okay? Where's Daddy?"

"Daddy got call!" the two-year-old girl named Isabelle informed her mother quietly. She twirled a lock of her hair around her finger. She and her twin sister had pink hair like Colleen's, but as you went down, the hair faded into a silver color, like Steven's. Isabelle had straight hair, until you got down to where it was silver, where it curled.

"It fwom Gwanpa, too," the other two-year old girl named Gabrielle added, tugging at her completely curly ponytail.

"Did he say when he'd be back?"

Isabelle and Gabrielle shook their heads.

"Oh!" Isabelle suddenly remembered. "And Auntie Winona's hewe with Dylan!"

"Oh, I forgot to give her that plate back!" Colleen put Isabelle and Gabrielle back on her bed.

"But Mommy, my hair—"

"Mommy, my book—"

"Izzy, I promise I'll do it after talking to Auntie Winona, okay? And Gabby, I'll get that book down for you! I'll be back as soon as I can!" Colleen shot a glance at the pink pillow on the nightstand, where Pichu was sleeping. "And don't wake Pichu, okay?"

Isabelle and Gabrielle looked a little disappointed, but nodded. "'Kay, Mommy."

Colleen slipped her feet into her slippers and rushed out of the room and down the carpeted stairs and hallway.

The long lavender-haired woman was waiting patiently at the open door. "Hi, Winona! Let me get the plate, one second . . ."

Colleen turned right into the kitchen and picked up a box on top of the cupboards. She went back to Winona with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I totally forgot about this!"

"No problem, Colleen," Winona smiled, taking the box and shifting the baby boy in her arms. "Just out of bed, I see?"

"Yeah, Izzy and Gabby just woke me up."

Winona looked sheepish. "Sorry about that. Just dropped in."

"No problem." Colleen looked at the baby boy fondly. "Aww, hi there, Dylan!" Colleen leaned in close to the baby boy and grabbed hold of his tiny finger. Dylan giggled adorably. "How are you, Dylan? Aren't you cute?" Colleen laughed and smiled at Winona. "He's gotten bigger, Winona! He's adorable!"

"I know!" Winona looked at Dylan fondly. "Say 'thank you,' Dylan!"

"Ta oo!" Dylan giggled. Both women laughed.

"Please, sit down!" Colleen stepped aside from the door.

"Oh, no, I have to go soon to pick up Marina for her doctor's appointment—and Wallace, too." Winona rolled her eyes. "He thought he brought the car with him but I actually dropped him off."

Colleen laughed. "How're Marina and Wallace doing?"

"Miss Elberson says she's doing fine in school. And she's been healthy and all. Wallace is . . . normal as he could be, I suppose. I see Izzy and Gabby are normal. How about Steven and Pichu?"

"Pichu just got over a cold, so it's sleeping. As for Steven . . ." Colleen looked down a bit sadly. "He's gotten really busy lately. He gets new calls every day and has to leave really early and come back late."

"Missing him?" Winona teased.

Colleen smiled. "I suppose. Gabby seems to have a sense when Steven wakes up or comes back. You know how she loves to watch him work; Steven just puts Gabby into his lap and she watches studiously. Izzy's always around me, helping me cook and such."

"That's cute." Winona glanced down at her watch and started. "Oh, it's 10! Marina's appointment's at thirty after!" Winona gave Colleen a quick hug. "I'll drop by soon, okay?"

"Okay."

"Say 'bye bye,' Dylan!"

"Ba ba!"

Colleen smiled and kissed Dylan's forehead. "Bye bye, Dylan!"

"See you later, Colleen—oh, and Wallace told me that Izzy and Gabby told him that they want a little brother like Dylan. He wanted me to ask what you two think."

Colleen blushed and laughed uneasily. "They told us that, too. Maybe one day."

Winona laughed and hugged Colleen again. "Wallace was thrilled to hear them say that. Even after all these years, he feels the same way about you two."

"Good to hear."

"See you soon."

"You, too."

"And by the way . . . happy fifth anniversary from all of us."

"Oh . . . thanks."

Colleen watched Winona get into her car, and with a final wave, closed the door. She sighed longingly. _Steven . . ._

Isabelle and Gabrielle entered the room. Colleen understood why immediately. "Okay, I'll get Gabby's book down and then I'll do your hair, Izzy. Is that good?"

"Yay, yay, yay!" the twins cheered, following their mother. Colleen went into Steven's home office and picked a pink pop-up book off the top shelf. She handed it to an eager Gabby, who went into the family room to start reading. Colleen picked up Izzy and climbed up the stairs, into the twins' room.

"What do you want to do today, princess?" Colleen asked as she seated the long-haired twin in a chair in front of the mirror.

"Um . . . two bwaids, Mommy!"

"Okay!" Colleen split her daughter's hair into two equal portions and tossed one over her shoulder, taking the other side to divide into three parts. She began overlapping them neatly, soon securing the braid with a blue ribbon. She then started on the other braid.

"Mommy, when Pichu will get up?" Isabelle asked.

"Pichu was sick yesterday, remember, sweetie? It's just like when you or Gabby get sick; I give you medicine, keep you in bed, and don't let you play outside for a couple of days after you get better."

"But if Pichu a Pokémon, won't it be not the same?"

Colleen shrugged. "Maybe. We'll see when Pichu wakes up." She tied another blue ribbon around Isabelle's second braid. "There you go, sweetie!"

"Oh, oh! Can me and Gabby pway with your Pokémon?" Izzy's gray and green-flecked eyes were innocently huge. "Pwease? We wanna fly on Sawamence again!"

Colleen laughed and kissed Isabelle's cheek. "Fine, fine. Go tell Gabby, and I'll get my Pokémon, okay? But _breakfast first_, okay?"

"Yay!" Isabelle cried, dashing out of the room at lightning speed to tell her twin sister.

Colleen shook her head and chuckled to herself. _I'm so glad Feraligatr isn't as stubborn as it used to be or Izzy and Gabby might have gotten on the wrong end of its bite!_ She went back into her and Steven's room and heard a "_Chuuuu . . ._"

Colleen bent over the Tiny Mouse Pokémon. "Good morning, Pichu. How are you feeling?"

Pichu rubbed its eyes and shrugged weakly. "_Pi, pi._"

Colleen put a hand on Pichu's forehead. "Your fever is down, and your voice sounds normal. That's a relief."

"_Chu pi?_"

"Izzy and Gabby are fine. They want to play with your friends again."

Pichu sat up immediately. "_Pi, pichu!_" it cried, raising an arm.

"You sure you want to, Pichu? You just got over your sickness—"

Pichu nodded vigorously, jumping up and down. Colleen laughed and hugged it. "You're a hyper as always, Pichu. If you want to, then go ahead. But the girls are going to eat breakfast first." Pichu hopped onto Colleen's shoulder as she descended the stairs. Isabelle and Gabrielle were sitting in the kitchen expectantly.

"Ooh, Pichu playing?" Gabby clapped her hands when Pichu jumped onto the table and shook hands with her and her twin. "Yay!"

"Okay, breakfast time first. Pichu, Brock sent some more of his Pokémon food a couple of days ago, so you want that, right?" Pichu nodded happily, licking its lips. "And girls, Cocoa Krispies with cold milk, right?"

"Yes, Mommy!" Isabelle got up and opened the refrigerator, heaving the milk carton out of it and accidentally slamming it onto the table. Meanwhile, Gabrielle tiptoed and managed to get the jar of Brock's Pokémon food off the counter. She took a bowl from the dish rack and poured some of Pichu's food into the bowl. She showed it to Pichu, who nodded to show that it was enough.

"Thank you, girls!" Colleen took two bowls out of the dish rack and the box of Cocoa Krispies. She poured some Cocoa Krispies and milk into both bowls and handed them to Isabelle and Gabrielle. Despite their excitement, the girls ate at a normal pace. But as soon as they were finished, the girls shot out of their seats. Colleen shook her head and put both bowls in the sink. Pichu attempted to put its bowl back, but wasn't able to reach, so Colleen put its bowl back, too.

"Pichu, you go outside with Izzy and Gabby. I'm going to get my bag, be outside in a second."

"_Chu!_" Pichu hopped outside while Colleen went into the front hall and picked up her well-worn pink bag. When she was outside, Pichu was chasing Izzy and Gabby around the yard. With a laugh, Colleen called out, "Come on out, everyone!"

Blaziken, Mightyena, Espeon, Feraligatr, and Salamence came out of their Poké Balls, receiving a warm greeting from Isabelle and Gabrielle. Soon enough, everyone was chasing each other around. Colleen watched them, remembering her old days when she was a traveling Trainer.

"_Blaziken, blaze._" The Blaze Pokémon peered into Colleen's face. "_Blaze?_"

"Breakfast? Oh, I'd almost forgotten." Colleen stretched. "Make sure Izzy and Gabby don't get into any trouble, okay? And if they fly on Salamence, keep Salamence at a lower height."

"_Blaziken!_" Blaziken assured its Trainer, ushering her inside. "_Blaze!_"

"Thanks, Blaziken. Oh, and can you give the others their breakfast?"

"_Ken!_" Blaziken jumped into the kitchen and grabbed the jar of Pokémon food and five bowls of the table. With a smile, it hopped back outside. "_Blaze!_"

"Thanks again, Blaziken!"

Colleen poured herself a glass of cold chocolate milk and popped two slices of bread into the toaster. She sipped at the milk as she waited. _Maybe Steven will come home early? Well, can't get my hopes up. He's been so busy lately I barely see his face. But it's our anniversary . . ._

Colleen jumped at the sound of the toaster, then stood up to put both pieces of bread onto a plate, spreading apricot jam on one slice and butter on the other. She finished her breakfast quickly, and soon enough, the phone rang. Colleen became hopeful.

"Hello?" Colleen said after picking up.

"Guess who!" a feminine voice on the other side giggled. "Hey, Colleen!"

"Oh, hi, May! How are you?"

"Doing awesome! Just wanted to say happy anniversary to you and Steven!"

"Oh, thanks!"

"Ash, Brock, Misty, Dawn, and Barry all say happy anniversary, too. We're calling from Kanto. Misty's eldest sister Daisy just had a baby!"

"Wow, that's great!"

"I know right? They named him Adrian, and he's just adorable! All full of baby fat in the right places! Goodness, you should pinch his cheeks, they're so soft and chubby!"

"He sounds cute! I hope I can see him soon."

"And more good news . . ." May paused for suspense.

"Spit it out, May, I want to know!"

"Okay, okay! Get this: _Brock proposed to Misty!_"

Colleen squealed. "That's the best news ever!"

"I know! We were all there, it was just _so_ romantic! And I've never seen Misty with such a . . . well, _girly_ reaction! She actually _looked_ like a girl! They don't know when the wedding is, though. Brock and Misty have to announce it to their families."

"Tell me as soon as you find out, okay? So how's everyone?"

"Doing great, as usual. Ash's visiting his mom in Pallet Town and he's coming back in a couple of days, so I'll be here with the others for that time. How about everyone on your end?"

"Normal, I suppose. Steven's at work and Izzy and Gabby are playing with my Pokémon right now. Oh, and Dylan's gotten a lot bigger!"

"Is that possible? Last time I saw him he was one of the chubbiest adorable things I'd ever seen!"

"Winona dropped by this morning with him, and trust me, he looked so much bigger!"

"I want to see him right now _so badly_. Oh, Ash and I are going on a double date with Barry and Dawn in ten minutes! Sorry about cutting out conversation short! Bye, Colleen!"

"No problem, May, bye! And tell Daisy congrats from us!"

"I will, hope I'll see you soon!"

Colleen put the phone back in its holder and finished her chocolate milk. She glanced outside to see how her daughters and her Pokémon were doing. Feraligatr and Blaziken had Gabby and Izzy on their shoulders and were running around, the girls screaming with laughter. When the two final starter forms put the girls down, they began to chase Mightyena and Espeon. Colleen smiled contentedly and went upstairs to take her shower.

_That night . . ._

The day had passed by normally, and before Isabelle and Gabrielle knew it, it was bedtime. Their mother was reading them their favorite, _The Little Mermaid._ The girls had practically memorized the story by now, but they loved to hear it anyway, and loved to see Pichu try to enact the story, though today, Pichu was sleeping in a room downstairs.

"With peace between the merpeople and humans, Ariel and the prince lived happily ever after. The end." Colleen closed the book and put it back into the girls' bookshelf. "Okay, girls, time to sleep."

"Okay, Mommy." The girls allowed their mother to kiss their cheeks and tuck them in. "Good night."

"Good night, Izzy and Gabby." Colleen switched off the light, and as she'd expected, her daughters were out like that light. With a smile, she made sure their nightlight was on and closed their door.

As soon as Colleen was outside, she heard the front door open, and she dashed downstairs. Steven was taking off his shoes, one hand against the doorway for support. He looked up and smiled when his grey eyes fell on his wife. "Hey, Colleen."

"Hey, Steven! How was your day?"

"One boring meeting after the next," Steven sighed, taking off his black coat and hanging it on a hook. He swept Colleen into his arms and kissed her, holding her in his embrace. "How about you and the twins?"

"Izzy and Gabby were playing with my Pokémon all day," Colleen laughed, her body leaning against Steven's. "They're asleep."

"Is Pichu feeling any better?"

"Much better. It was playing along, too—so much that it's asleep right now."

"That's good."

"Do you want something to eat?"

"Hm? No, it'll upset my stomach if I eat right now. Besides, I ate the sandwich you left in the fridge for me yesterday."

Colleen made to go upstairs, but stopped when Steven didn't follow. "Aren't you coming?"

Steven smiled. "I'll be up in a few seconds, I just remembered I forgot something in the car . . ."

"Okay." Colleen headed upstairs and flipped on the light for her and Steven's room. She sat on the bed, brushing her hair so she could braid it like she did every night.

"Leave your hair like that, I like it better that way." Colleen looked up as Steven entered the room—with a bouquet of roses, a box of chocolates, and a pink box! He closed their door with a smile.

"Steven, what's that for?" Colleen blushed.

Steven sat down next to Colleen and hugged her. "It's for everything lately. I'm so sorry I haven't been around lately, almost always at work. And today, of all days . . . I feel terrible." His lips met Colleen's, and he said, "Happy fifth anniversary, Colleen."

Colleen's eyes welled up with tears. And here she was thinking Steven didn't remember! "Oh, Steven, I don't mind, I know that your work is important." She buried her face into Steven's chest.

"Not as important as my family." Steven smiled, one hand stroking his wife's hair. "And that's why I've taken tomorrow off. All to spend with you and the girls."

Colleen was touched. "Oh, Steven . . . happy fifth anniversary to you, too. I love you so much."

Steven kissed Colleen again. "I'll love you always." He handed her the pink box and motioned for her to open it.

Colleen opened the box and found a gold heart-shaped locket inside. She opened it and read, "_To my beautiful wife Colleen—No matter where we are, how far apart we may be, know that I'll always love you more than anything and I'll always be yours. Your loving husband, Steven._"

"Steven, I . . . it's beautiful! But I have nothing for you—"

Steven cut her off. "I don't need anything. You're my wife, and that's enough of a present I could ever ask for."

Colleen blushed, and Steven chuckled, putting his arms around her again and looking down at her. "You're cute when you blush, you know that?"

Colleen's blush darkened. "You're not helping . . ."

"Then when do you think we should make that brother of Izzy and Gabby's?"

"Steven!"

"Okay, I'll stop there." Steven chuckled at Colleen's embarrassed expression. He stood and stretched. "I'll just change and be right out."

Colleen stood, too, putting the roses and box of chocolates on the bedside table as she laid down and read the inscription in the locket again. She smiled. _Steven can be so romantic sometimes . . . it's times like these that make me feel fifteen again, when I first got my crush on Steven. Now that I look back, I wonder how I even managed to keep it in! I loved Steven so much. Maybe it's because I know he loves me now that it seemed so foolish. It's hard to believe, even now, that we're married and have two daughters. But every day is like a dream that I'm living in._

Steven came out of the bathroom and laid down in bed next to Colleen, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm all yours tonight . . ." he whispered in a fake seductive voice into her ear, causing her to giggle.

"Then I'm using you as a heater, because I'm cold! And no, not in that way."

Colleen's body curled up against Steven's, and she could feel his reassuring warmth radiating from him. Steven kissed Colleen for as long as he could. "Good night, and I love you."

Colleen let all of her worries and troubles fly out of her mind as she snuggled into her husband's embrace. "Good night, Steven . . . and I'll love you always."

**The End.**

**A/N: So if you guys could read this, I'd appreciate it. So here goes!**

**I have been asked to write a sequel to **_**The Champion Journeys**_**, but I think I'd like to end the series here—for now. I might come back and write something, but I like where this has ended. Of course, I'm going to be very sad, not able to write about Colleen and Steven anymore! :( These fanfictions have been my sources of caffeine sometimes, I just loved writing them! And both fics got a lot more favorites and reviews than I'd ever dreamed! I just want to say that writing **_**The Hoenn Journeys**_** and **_**The Champion Journeys**_** were two of the best things I've done, and I'm proud that I completed them.**

**Now to thank you, loyal readers!**

_**Advanceshipper Forever—**_**Your reviews always made me smile. Thank you for everything!**

_**bow down to pokemon champion Z—**_**Again, short and to the point reviews. Thank you!**

_**Deception is Deception—**_**Thank you for your nice comments!**

_**SiriuslyFanatic**_**—Hope you're feeling better, girl! :hug: Thanks for all of your reviews! **

_**Hikaru-pichu—**_**I'm glad you liked the story!**

_**AvatarGorre—**_**Thank you for your support!  
**_**XennaXDemyx**_**—Thank you for reviewing!**

_**EmoxJerk**_**—Your reviews always keep me encouraged! Thank you!**

_**aquaerae—**_**Thanks for reviewing!**

_**Trainer J.P.—**_**Your reviews always made me smile, too! Thank you!**

_**RiveriaAbyss**_**—I'm glad you like my stories!**

_**blarghapaloozahs—**_**Thanks for your reviews!**

_**xXkhang91Xx—**_**I'm glad you think it was interesting!**

_**.Panda—**_**I'll look out for your reviews!**

_**RabbidFangirl**_**—Another reviewer who made me smile. Thank you!**

_**Seionka**_**—Thanks for pointing out that mistake ^^**

_**reika33riopix33gothic33lolita—**_**Glad you liked both!  
**_**Solyeuse**_**—Your reviews made me LOL, literally! Thanks!**

_**lovelyanimeangel—**_**Glad you liked it!**

_**Newest Reader**_**—Aren't you glad you stumbled onto this story? ;)**

**And there's everyone! I am indebted to you for reviewing my story :) I hope you look out for further stories too!**

**Love, Meerca**


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